16 Feb 2014

Debswana Diamond Company has extended by three more years, its P3 million sponsorship of Re Ba Bona Ha.

The relationship between Debswana and Re Ba Bona Ba started in 2008 when the company issued P1.7 million for three years.The sponsorship was renewed in 2011 with P2 million for another three years.

When the grassroots sport programme, Re Ba Bona Ha, was launched in 2008, it featured football only. However, other codes such as boxing, softball, rugby, basketball, cricket, karate, athletics, chess, volleyball, tennis and judo were later taken on board.

Launching the sponsorship in Gaborone on February 13, the Minister of Youth Sport and Culture, Shaw Kgathi, said programmes such as Re Ba Bona Ha gave the youth a unique opportunity to be identified, groomed, nurtured and equipped with the right skills.

Kgathi said a structured talent identification mechanism was a must for all the national sport associations as the sport governing body will prioritise on this programme for the 2014/15 funding.

“To support initiatives such as this, the ministry will do everything to remove any impediments to grassroots sports development and ensure that sport opportunities are accessible to all,” he said.

He said Re Ba Bona Ha, together with the centres of sport excellence, were the flagships programmes that would be the major focus “to catch them young”. He also said the Debswana sponsorship would provide a platform of play for many children in line with “sport for all” aspiration.

He appealed to other businesses to think about giving back to the communities by sponsoring sport associations and sport events. Kgathi said he recognised the good relationship between Debswana and Re Ba Bona Ha, adding that he hoped it would endure for many more years to come and benefit sport and the nation at large.

Debswana managing director, Balisi Bonyongo, said Re Ba Bona Ha was a vehicle through which the future African, Commonwealth, World and Olympic champions were groomed and put through the right structures to accelerate sport development.

Bonyongo said the sponsorship was an important milestone in Debswana’s efforts to turn dreams of young enthusiasts into reality through the enhancement of sport development and excellence.

“It is due to our passion for sport especially at grassroots levels that motivated us to partner with the BNSC in the Re Ba Bona Ha initiative back in 2008,” he noted. He said over the years, several lives have been touched and transformed, which was testimony that sport could no longer be viewed as play but serious business.

He thanked the national sport associations for providing technical support in the implementation of the programme. Bonyongo commended volunteers for giving up their time, energy and resources to support the development of Botswana sport. Ends