26 Apr 2023

Patrons at this weekend’s Khawa Dune Challenge and Cultural Festival will be spoilt for choice as fresh offerings such as lamb meat tasting, donkey cart chauffer services, bonfire camping at a tented village as well as star gazing have been added to the annual event.

Speaking in an interview, Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Tsabong district coordinator, Rock Mphela, promised an improvement in activities as well as diverse sporting activities.

He said the schedule for the spectacle, which the ministry is hosting in collaboration with Botswana Tourism Organisation, Kgalagadi District Council and Botswana Motor Sport will send the iconic leisure and sport tourism event to an even higher level.

Mphela said President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, tourism minister, Phildah Kereng and sport minister, Tumiso Rakgare are expected to grace the event.

He said events would include the mouth-watering motor and quad bike challenge, motor bike stunts, tug of war, fun camel rides, helicopter rides, 5-km nature walk, gastronomy display, 4x4 obstacle dune challenge, digital motorsport, soccer, horse race, volleyball and sand dune racing, sand boarding as well as music festival with a rich line up.

He said the cultural festival and the polka night were combined and scheduled for Friday to create space in the programme for other activities.

He said there shall be rich cultural renditions such as tsutsube, polka, namastaap.

“We are ready, the gravel road to Khawa has been graded, horse race track also graded and Motor Sport marked the routes.

Everything that you need is here; so come and have some fun. Be prepared as the temperatures have started to drop,” he Mphela added.

In an interview, Khawa Kgosi Piet Manyoro appreciated the new additions to the annual event, which he said would spice up Khawa Dune Challenge and Cultural Festival.

Kgosi Manyoro also appreciated infrastructural developments, which came to the village since 2019 and the government for developing tourism activities in the village, which is endowed with spectacular sand dunes and wildlife.

Kgosi Manyoro highlighted that construction of the new gate, which is about 22km from Khawa to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, would not only help to develop tourism in the village, but transform livelihoods in the area. ENDS