07 May 2023

Malebogo Max Foundation Basketball tournament has been described as an outing that people with disabilities needed.

Most of those interviewed hailed the organisers for their efforts, adding that the games held at UB basketball courts over the weekend, gave participants a chance to mingle with those equally challenged.

One of the participants, Gofenyaone Letshelaphala from Kanye, who played for Team Jwaneng said it was an opportune time to share common challenges and how to overcome them.

“Some of us got disabled while already adults, so we may still be having challenges of coping and accepting our condition. So being together like this once in a while is therapeutic, we are counselling each other,” he said.

Letshelaphala said sport was good for their bodies as they spent most the time on wheelchairs. 

He played volleyball before he was injured in a road accident 10 years ago. Letshelaphala has now resorted to basketball as it was easier to play on a wheelchair.

Tom Kenosi from Kweneng Association of People with Disability, who played for Penguins, said he was happy to be active in sport after a four-year break.  “I appreciate the organisers for resuscitating the games. The only challenge now is that we don’t have specialised wheelchairs to practice on. We only use them in such tournaments,” he said.

Kenosi hoped for more basketball tournaments as he said they could even help to identify a team to represent the country internationally

Christopher Sentsho, who said he once played for Prisons XI and Notwane as a goalkeeper, said there was a need to include more sporting codes to cater for other people with disability who had talent in another sports.

Meanwhile, Onkabetse Ketshabile, who is an advocate for people with disability, said the idea behind the event was noble and it exceeded their expectations. She, however, said that in future the selection of participants should include those in rural areas, adding selection of participants should be transparent.

“We should not see the usual faces in all the events. Apart from all that, this is a great initiative and I commend the organisers for the idea,” she said. ENDS