28 Feb 2022

Ten residents of Ditladi village in Tati East  have each received a blanket, groceries and P100 donated by area MP, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe and City of Angels Apostolic Church.

Speaking at the handing over at Ditladi kgotla of Friday, Dr Letsholathebe said government cherished the role played by churches and would never undermine them in anyway.

He said religion played a distinct role in how a nation governed itself, hence the state and church ought to be partners.

Dr Letsholathebe said the partnership between the church and state was important and played a role in laying the foundation of government structures.

He said City of Angels Apostolic Church was established in 2003 with only 10 members and was legally registered in 2007. Dr Letsholathebe said it now enjoyed a large following across the country noting that it was not the church’s first donation since it donated P10 000 to the COVID-19 relief fund in 2020.

He said it had donated to SOS children’s village in Francistown and the less privileged in Tlokweng and Metsimotlhabe last year and had also made donations in Francistown and Shashemooke.

Dr Letsholathebe said the donations were in line with the National Vision 2036, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and promoted the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) president, Dr Tebogo Motlhagodi called on government to consider establishing the house of religions. Dr Motlhagodi, who is also a specially elected councilor at Moshupa/Thamaga Sub District Council, said the formation of such a religious house would raise the voice of Christianity in Botswana and would be an excellent and unique platform for different religions and cultural communities.

He said the house would provide information, pace for face to face encounters, encourage equality and furthering cooperation between faith communities.

He said OAIC had 463 members across Botswana and urged churches to assist government develop its people especially now that government had limited funds.

Dr Motlhagodi appealed to government employees to assist the public without demanding overtime because by so doing, they would be giving back to the community.

Archbishop Boipuso Ntsebele of City of Angels Apostolic Church said the main objective of the event was to heed the call by President, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi to help government assist the less privileged as well as spread the Gospel since crime rate was worrying.

He said government alone could not provide for everyone considering that COVID-19 had derailed plans to develop Batswana because funds were used to secure vaccines which cost a lot of money.

A beneficiary, Ms Jane Mokwena thanked City of Angels Apostolic Church for the generosity. BOPA