03 May 2022

  The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has donated 10 tents to the Khawa Community Development Trust.

Delivering the tents during the Khawa Dune Challenge and Cultural Festival recently, Ms Philda Kereng expressed hoped that the tents would facilitate tourism growth in Khawa and increase revenue generated by the trust.

She said the tents were a seed that would yield sustainable results over time and that the trust needed them for self sustenance post the festival.

Ms Kereng also advised the trust to be innovative and to offer tourists a unique experience that Khawa possessed and to position Botswana as a tourism destination of choice. 

She described the tents as a starter pack for the trust to generate revenue.

 Ms Kereng noted that the village was endowed with tourist attraction sites and wildlife.

She said the tents could also create employment opportunities for Khawa residents and empower the community trust to grow. She said the revised tourism policy sought to broaden tourism portfolios by developing less exposed areas such as the dry lands.

The minister further noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively affected tourism for the past two years and that it was befitting to bring back the challenge and cultural festival bigger and better. 

She said government was exploring ways of increasing tourism working relationships with developed countries such as Dubai who had a similar climatic condition but were able to position themselves as top notch destinations.

For his part, Kgosi Piet Manyoro of Khawa said the tents would assist the community trust to advance tourism in the area and that they would create employment opportunities for residents, especially the youth.

Khawa Community Development Trust chairperson, Mr Piet Osenoneng also appreciated the tents, which he said would help the trust in its tourism endeavours as it relied heavily on the dune challenge and cultural festival proceeds. 

He said they had been experiencing a shortage of accommodation tents hence the donated tents would come in handy.

Meanwhile member of the executive council for finance, economic development and tourism in the Northern Cape Province, Mr Abraham Vosloo who was accompanied by African Tourism Board chairperson, Mr Cuthbert Ncube handed books to  Minister Kereng.

Mr Vosloo said as their province was a neighbour of Kgalagadi District they had also come to render support. 

“I have been coming to Khawa over the years and I am impressed with the new infrastructural developments,” he said.

Other donations included that of Babusi Masters Social Club led by Mr Phadza Molebatsi who donated 73 school shoes to Khawa Primary School pupils.

Kgalagadi South MP, Mr Samuel Brooks commended the school shoes donation, emphasising that it was the responsibility of everyone to play a role in education. 

On the 10 tents, the MP said they would assist to improve people’s livelihoods, adding that the area was poverty stricken. BOPA