15 Oct 2020

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi on October 14 answered Mr Olebile Thekiso’s dream of becoming a small stock farmer of note by giving him a doper ram.

Presenting the gift, President Masisi noted that Mr Thekiso started from humble beginnings, with only five goats, but fully lived up to his vision of sustainable small stock farming.

He said Mr Thekiso embodied the true spirit of boipelego that Batswana were renowned for, as he self-funded, despite all the odds.

The President said his small stock initiative was one avenue through which Botswana could realise and achieve food self-sufficiency.

As champion of Vision 2036, Dr Masisi said it was up to him to ensure that the citizenry was taken on board to fully utilise government economic empowerment programmes, in the drive to be self-reliant.

When narrating the start of a life-changing journey as a small stock farmer story, Mr Thekiso said after reaching his twilight in the public service in 2009, where he served in the Department of Buildings and Engineering Services, as an electrician for 41 years, he relocated to Ramokobetwane lands in the outskirts of Tlokweng.

He said along with his wife Kelebogile, they put forward an ambitious vision of sustainable small stock farming and funded the vision with only five nannies and one buck.

But lo and behold, it is humbling to take in how far the Thekisos have come in just a couple of years, as they now boast 70 goats and 30 sheep.

This farming project has in recent years, also supplied both LIMID and poverty eradication beneficiaries with startup stock.

However, for a good stretch of his farming life, he said he had tried as best as he could to upgrade his small stock breed, but to no avail, primarily due to the costly price tags attached to quality rams and bucks.

He said following 11 years of turmoil of small stock farming and the dark clouds of gloom that hung perpetually over Mr Thekiso’s horizon, a ray of hope appeared on Wednesday when President Masisi came to his rescue.

“Ke tswa kgakala keletso ya me e le go tlhabolola boleng jwa leruo la me, gore ke bone dipoelo tse di botoka fa ke rekisa.  Sebe sa phiri ke ditlhwatlhwa tse di kwa godimo tsa diphoko. Ke setse ke itlhobogetse mo go bomagaolwane ba ba tsalelwang mo sakeng,” he said.

As a communal farmer,  Mr Thekiso promised to also assist his compatriots to improve their small stock breeds.

Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Karabo Gare applauded the presidential initiative to assist farmers to improve their small stock, saying it was a step in the right direction towards food security.

Mr Gare pleaded with the beneficiary to liaise with the regional agriculture office regularly to ensure proper health status of the ram.

Further, Vision 2036 director for monitoring and evaluation, Ms Kooetse Mokgwathi said it was encouraging to see an elderly person, like Mr Thekiso, fully committed to the attainment of an inclusive economy and achieving prosperity for all.

She said the Thekisos should strive to integrate modern farming methods and technology into their desires to be farmers of repute and be exemplary to other elderly farmers. ENDS