01 Jan 2021

Plans are underway for Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) to hand over campsites facilities at Xai Xai to the department of National Museum and Monument (DNMM). BTO tourism developablement officer, Mr Thatayaone Mmapatsi, confirmed in a recent interview that they had started taking an inventory before handing over. The facilities would be handed to the museum, which is expected to work closely with Xaixai Tlhabologo Community Trust to ensure maximum benefits. BTO built the facilities to empower the community trust to implement tourism activities in and around Gcwihaba National Monument. The facilities include campsites, a gatehouse with ablution block constructed by Xai Xai community in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism through Ipelegeng programme. The facilities had been idling because of lack of business, despite efforts by the trust to market the place.

 

Xaixai trust manager, Mr Eric Keharara, expressed hope that things would change for the better once the museum comes on board. The facilities, he said, had not been operational because there was no business due to inadequate marketing. He thanked BTO for the support accorded to the trust noting that the institution assisted in payment of some trust workers. He also believed that BTO would continue to assist the trust with a robust marketing strategy to attract more clientele at the campsite. For his part, DNMM coordinator in North West region, Mr Vasco Baitsiseng explained that the campsite would be operated by the trust while the museum would provide guidance and monitoring aspect as well as promoting conservation at the area. DNMM is the custodian of all sites protected under the Monuments and Relics Act of which Gcwihaba caves falls. The country’s intention is for the national heritage site to be registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its natural scientific and heritage value at minimum.

 

As such the archeology of the site needed to be protected as a critical aspect of its heritage value component.

 

Mr Baitsiseng said while they had not yet come up with a model on how they were going to work with the trust but hoped they might apply the same model used at Tsodilo village where the museum was working in collaboration with the Tsodilo Community Trust to manage and oversee heritage resource in the area and facilitated community empowerment along different livelihoods streams.ends