15 Jun 2020

Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) has donated 1 000 dishwashing liquid soap and 500 bars of soap to Mahalapye Sub-district.

Handing over the donation on Friday to Mahalapye Sub-district Council chairperson, Mr Banthasetse Merementsi, BIUST director of communications and public affairs, Mr Keoagile Rafifing said  BIUST heeded government’s call and came up with a number of projects to assist government in the fight against COVID-19.

Beside embarking in the production of dishwashing liquid soap and bar soap, he said the university had designed a dashboard which gave statistical updates on what was happening locally and globally regarding COVID-19. 

Additionally, he said BIUST also came up with spray drones which were used for disinfecting some public places such as the bus rank, Rural Administration Centre and hospitals. 

The other project, he said, was the production of sanitizers. He noted that they were developed in accordance with World Health Organisation standards to help hospitals.

Mr Rafifing said BIUST’s donation to all sub-district’s across the country was part of the university’s corporate social responsibility to help disadvantaged people in communities.

“BIUST has a lot of expertise to produce many other products. We have been working on the soap production project for years, and it has actually came up handy for Batswana,” he said. Furthermore, he noted that the university donated 6 000 dishwashing liquid soap and 3 000 bars of soap and P1 million to the COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Both the liquid soap and bars of soap, he said, were produced by the university’s chemical engineering students through ingredients they came up with. 

However, he said since the university did not have enough machinery to mass produce the soaps, it decided to partner with the Local Entrepreneural Agency in order to utilise its machines to produce more soap and donate to disadvantaged communities in the various sub-districts in the country.

The bar soap, Mr Rafifing said, was produced using local materials, being cattle fat sourced from Botswana Meat Commission. He said the soaps were tested and certified to be good for human use by Botswana Medicines and Drugs Regulatory Association.

Receiving the donation, Mr Merementsi thanked BIUST for the donation, saying COVID-19 was a bad thing that had ever happened to the world. “But I believe that post this pandemic we will do things differently,” he said.

“We thank you for this noble gesture and we assure you that the donation will be distributed to deserving beneficiaries,” he added.

In his welcome remarks, Mahalapye Sub-district Council secretary, Mr Artwell Mlilo expressed appreciation to BIUST for having chosen Mahalapye Sub-district to benefit from the donation.

Mahalapye deputy chief, Kgosi Tshipe Tshipe and Mahalapye Sub-district assistant district commissioner, Mr Bakani Mathumo also attended the ceremony. Ends