29 Apr 2022

The Botswana Netball Association (BONA) on Thursday received a P 234 850 shot in the arm from SKL Group of Camps for the upcoming Fast 5 netball tournament. 

The unconventional tournament, will see a total of 20 women and 20 men form eight teams to play matches as part of the national team select camp in preparation for the Women’s World Cup and the Men’s Africa Cup qualifiers. 

According to the rules of play for the tournament, five players will be fielded from each team instead of the traditional seven, where the winners will be decided on Sunday at BONA courts in Gaborone. 
Speaking at the sponsorship launch in Maun, SKL Group of Camps CEO, Mr Reaboka Mbulawa said the partnership would run for three years. 

Mr Mbulawa, a tourism and hospitality business owner, stated that sport tourism had potential, citing the recent Maun Mascom Derby horse race as an example. 
He said as a tourism hub, Maun needed a diversity of offerings to make it a destination of choice. He said as a Maun-based company, they saw it fit to support a sport code that nurtured some of the young players from Ngamiland. 

He said it would be an honour for a Maun netball club to compete in the BONA league in future, “We want netball to be visible in Ngamiland just like we witnessed Sankoyo Bush Bucks play in the premiership,” he added 
Mr Mbulawa acknowledged that due to COVID-19, businesses, including sport and tourism sector, had suffered a financial blow, stating however that it was imperative to rehabilitate sport and offer financial support. 

Acting North West District Commissioner, Ms Boitshwarelo Rapebana stated that sport and recreation built communities, adding that sport was a character building tool that had rescued some people from poverty and drug use. 
Ms Rapebana revealed that her office supported every endeavour aimed at promoting sport and tourism. 

She also stated that sport created a need for accommodation and food, which could in turn contribute to economic growth as SMMEs, such as food vendors usually sell food during sport festivals. 
She thanked SKL Camps for partnering with BONA and called on other companies to follow suit. 
BONA president, Ms Malebo Raditladi-Nkgakile said Maun had produced sport talent, as many sport heroes accross codes were from Ngamiland. 

She highlighted that the district had excelled in Botswana Games numerous times, scooping a top three position in netball. 
Ms Raditladi-Nkgakile said BONA was motivated by this sponsorship and pledged that they would do their best to nurture the partnership for it to bear fruit. 
She noted that their dream was to have league sub-zones in order to accommodate teams that were in other regions besides Gaborone. 

The President said to show their commitment, BONA had established four Re Ba Bona Ha centres in Maun being Kubung, Botswelelo, Bonatla and Matapana primary schools. 
She highlighted that the weekend Fast 5 tournament would be preparation for the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in August and the subsequent World Cup finals in South Africa in 2023. 

She said players competing in the weekend tournament were selected from BONA affiliated clubs to form part of the national team. Ms Raditladi-Nkgakile stated that during the three-year partnership with SKL Camps, they would honour Maun by hosting the Fast 5 tournament in the village. ENDS