03 Jun 2021

Botswana Bowling Association president, John Gaborutwe, will be laid to rest today (Friday).

A hardworking individual whose love for bowling was second to none, according to speakers at his memorial service on Wednesday, Gaborutwe would be remembered as a great leader.

Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) committee member, Tebo Segaise, urged the bowling family to continue his legacy.

“BNOC, Botswana National Sport Commission, bowling and sport in general have lost a valuable member and we will always remember him. All we can say is we have learnt from him and can only hope those lessons will be put to good use and help to grow the sport,” he said.

Segaise said Gaborutwe was a leader par excellence and an epitome of great leadership.

Botswana Bowling Association, competitions secretary, Ookeditse Lekang, said his first meeting with Gaborutwe was in 2014 when the latter joined the sport.

“I had the privilege of working with him in the executive committee from 2017 when he was vice president and ultimately elected the president during last year’s annual general assembly,” he said.

Lekang said Gaborutwe won many majors as a player in the national championships and locally. He also represented the country internationally as a player and manager.

He said Gaborutwe was part of a team that competed in Cardiff, Wales in 2019 at the Atlantic Championships.

He also represented the country in the Commonwealth Games that in Australia in 2018.

Lekang said Gaborutwe competed at the World Singles Indoor World Cup Sydney, Australia in 2017, was the team manager during the 2012 World Championships in Australia and assistant team manager during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India.

“Closer to home, he played the African states tournaments in Kenya and Peter Richards Invitation Pairs,” he said.

He won a bronze medal in trips discipline in Johannesburg South Africa in 2017 and was a team manager in 2012 and 2015 in Lusaka and Durban respectively.

A member of the Selibe Phikwe Bowls Clubs, George Kieni said Gaborutwe made an impression on different people that he had worked with. ENDS