20 Mar 2014

Political leaders should be instrumental as well as exemplary when it comes to events such as wellness day.

Gaborone City Council (GCC) mayor, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa expressed this after several councillors and management failed to show up at the council’s wellness commemoration day  in Gaborone on Wednesday, March 19.

He said the day was meant for everyone in the council. “This is our day; it is for all of us, therefore, everyone in the council should be here participating” he said.

Mr Nkaigwa encouraged GCC management to bring on aboard, in the next such events, organisations that get tenders from the council so that they (GCC) get encouragement, support and even sponsorship from them.

For his part, Councilor Tshepo Moloko of Tlogatloga ward, who was the only councilor who attended the event, said he was with the city council commemorating such a day. He encouraged Batswana to exercise as it kept one fit.

Highlighting the objectives of the day, the deputy town clerk, Mr Iran Makati said the day will be held annually to motivate staff to become healthy and productive. He said they came up with the initiative to raise awareness among Gaborone City Council employees about the importance of wellness in the workplace and encourage them to value their personal health and improve their wellbeing.

He said physical fitness was important because one could produce when he/she was healthy and the issues of absenteeism and sick leaves, among employees, will be things of the past. He added that exercising could also reduce occupational injuries and accidents and improve health and safety within the workplace.

It was not just about fitness activities such as aerobics, the day was also characterized by music and song. Departmental music choirs held competed during the day as a way of stimulating fun and excitement. The six choirs from departments of parks, fire, roads, bye law, sanitation as well as social and community development battled to be the champions on the day.

In the category of the best theme of the wellness day, roads department got position one, followed by sanitation and then the fire department. Department of sanitation got position one followed by roads then fire department in the category of best departmental song and, therefore, overall, department of roads emerged the winners of the day.

Although they did not win, department of sanitation impressed Mr Nkaigwa with their presentation, but he encouraged and motivated them together with other departments to improve. “The choir has talent, it is unfortunate that in this country it is difficult for talent to be recognised,” he said. ENDS