15 May 2023

The Assistant Minister of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture, Buti Billy has dismissed the notion that darts is for lazy people.

Speaking at a joint charity event by Botswana Darts Association (BODA) and Francistown Nyangabgwe Lions Club in Francistown on Saturday, Billy said darts, like any other sport, required concentration and was physically demanding.

He said darts was exercise for the brain and the more the brain was exercised the less the stress and other disorders.

Billy said the leadership of Francistown was ready to support BODA for it to achieve its mandate of helping the less privileged.

He informed participants that the Transitional National Development Plan did not cater much for sport, hence advising codes to tap into the private sector adding Vision 2036 and the Reset Agenda talked about human development.

“I encourage you to change the way you do things,” stated Billy and added that sport had potential to create employment and bring about developments such as building of sporting facilities.

He described the charitable work by the two clubs as an indication of love and compassion.

Government, Billy said, was in the process of returning sporting activities in schools though such would require more funds.

BODA secretary general, Mothusi Moakofi, stated that BODA and Francistown Nyangabgwe Lions Club would later decide on the beneficiary.

He stated that though the game had been in existence for years, many still believed that it was only for men, but that was not the case.

Moakofi acknowledged that the sport was not well known in Botswana and across the globe.

“So as BODA, we want to make the association known through charitable events as well as raising awareness through sporting activities,” stated Moakofi.

The secretary general indicated that BODA had got its own roadmap and dreams of developing the sport at grassroots level.

He explained that the world was sick because substance abuse had taken total control of lives since the outbreak of COVID-19, which prevented sporting activities in schools.

He said one of the challenges facing BODA as a non-profit making organisation was lack of funds to run its administration and spread wings across the country.

Moakofi said on May 26, the association would select youth teams of both boys and girls under the age of 18 to represent the country at the youth championships in Zambia in August.

He also said government was inundated with many requests for funding.

Moakofi therefore, appealed to the business community and the corporate world to help raise funds for the trip to Zambia.

Regional chairperson of the Botswana Lions Cluc, Sylvia Muzila commended BODA for partnering with Francistown Nyangabgwe Lions Club to assist the less privileged.

She explained that currently, Francistown Nyangabgwe Lions Club was assisting the less privileged in Makaleng with food hampers and other related stuff.

She said Francistown Nyangabgwe Lions Club, desired to grow its membership in order to reach out to as many people as possible.

“We also need young people to run the association as they are active and energetic,” stated Muzila. ENDS