15 Aug 2024

The inaugural Gaborone City Mayor's Walk was a success with several of his counterparts taking part.

 The walk, which took place in Gaborone on August 10, also attracted a number of sporting icons, among them Mssrs Mogakolodi Ngele and Ross Branch.

The walk was meant to fight non-communicable diseases by sharing messages of awareness as well as have participants screened for different conditions.

 The10-kilometre walk was in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank of Botswana.

 City mayor, Mr Austin Abraham said the walk was an opportunity for them to inspect the city roads and sanitation as the local authority was responsible for keeping it clean.

 He acknowledged the presence of potholes in some of the city roads, saying the council was doing its best trying to fix them. He also said he was aware of complaints pertaining to city illumination, where people needed lighting to be able to move around, especially those who exercise in open areas and along the streets in the evening.

 The walk was meant to raise funds for Local Authority Health Institutions Sport Association (LAHISA) Gaborone team as well Ambrose Trust, which was running Ambrose Academy at Gaborone North. It is said to be grappling with financial constraints, as such 15 per cent of the walk proceeds will be directed to Ambrose Trust.

The mayor shared that the LAHISA Gaborone team and other 31 districts were to travel to Namibia for the annual sporting activities.

 For his part, Mr Ngele said sport was for all and for life and all needed to exercise and play regardless of age.

 He said the walk was a welcome initiative that needed to be added to the city's annual calendar.

For his part, Mr Branch said health was the most valuable source of wealth that even money could not buy. He encouraged all to take care of themselves as fitness and health were important overall wellness.

 He said he was grateful for the support that the nation accorded him during his racing career and proud of Letsile Tebogo's success.

 He said there was a need to change mindset towards promotion of sport, especially among youth, whom he said needed to follow in Letsile Tebogo's footsteps. BOPA/Rainqueen 14/8/24