Botswana at 56: Sport comes of age
Mqondisi Dube | Saturday October 1, 2022 06:00
Athletics has been headlining the surge as a country with a population of just above two million, takes its place among an elite group. Even long after Botswana’s Independence from Britain in 1966, the country’s soccer team was classified among the weakest teams and in the process, labelled the Whipping Boys of Africa.
In the COSAFA region, Botswana was mentioned in the same breath as Lesotho and Eswatini, with victories hard to come by. But that narrative has steadfastly changed since the turn of the millennium when the national team, the Zebras, began to turn up and compete. It was a refreshing departure from the energy-sapping 6-1 defeats, as Botswana began to go toe-to-toe with the region and ultimately, the continent’s giants. It will no doubt go down in history that the Jelusic Veselin era in the early 2000s heralded a paradigm shift as he assembled a brittle squad. By 2010, Botswana was competing for its first ever spot at the Africa Cup of Nations finals, which was duly delivered by a local coach, Stanley Tshosane. The Zebras made their first appearance at the AFCON finals in 2012 and subsequently reached the finals of the regional COSAFA Cup in 2016 and 2019.
However, the Zebras have not exactly kicked on and are now back on par with the likes of Eswatini and Madagascar. Only recently the Zebras failed to beat both Madagascar and Eswatini for a spot at next year’s Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) when the road appeared wide open.
On the contrary, the Zebras’ female counterparts, the Mares have been blossoming and reached their maiden AFCON finals in July. The finals laid bare the potential that the women’s game contains, with Refilwe Tholakele in particular, the perfect embodiment of the qualities local players possess. Football is the most populous sport and draws mass participation from across but the jury is still out on whether the game has really arrived. Codes like karate, boxing and volleyball have progressed significantly with Botswana sides as the dominant forces, particularly within the region. Karate and boxing have produced Commonwealth Games medal winners, while the likes of swimming, cricket, judo, table tennis, softball, weightlifting and tennis are making significant inroads.
Robust development programmes have produced young talent like Denzel Seetso (tennis), Karabo Motlhanka (cricket), Ofentse ‘Shakes’ Bakwadi (karate), and Sadie Kenosi (boxing) among others, who have proven that Botswana can compete at the highest level. However, it is athletics that has given the country the largest slice of glory with the sport among the best performing on the continent and beyond. The country’s first Olympic Games medal came through athletics’ Nijel Amos in 2012. The first world champion was 400m athlete, Amantle Victor-Nkape (Montsho). The only other Olympic Games medal arrived through the 4x400-metre relay at last year’s Olympic Games held in Tokyo, Japan. Athletics brought countless medals from the Commonwealth Games, with the 2018 edition held in Gold Coast, particularly the most impressive one. It has not ended there, while Isaac Makwala, Montsho and Amos have done their part, there is an emerging crop led by the irrepressible 19-year-old Tebogo Letsile. Letsile epitomises the future of Botswana athletics and has unignorable confidence and arrogance on the track. He had the world eating from the palm of his hand with an ominous run at the World Junior Championships in Cali, Columbia on his way to smashing the world Under-20 record in 9.91 secs.
Letsile has smashed the 100m record on several occasions since he burst into the scene in February last year. He leads a crop of young athletes, including 400m star, Anthony Pesela, who are ready to take the baton from Botswana’s ageing athletics fleet. While Botswana has enjoyed golden moments, particularly from the track, there are worrying signs off the pitch. Doping has been Botswana’s recent Achilles Heel with top athletes, who include Montsho, Lydia Jele and recently Amos and Thalosang Tshireletso caught on the wrong side of the law. Despite renewed anti-doping efforts, the country’s athletes have swum against the tide.
In the boardroom, there is rising concern over the questionable conduct of leaders. Internal squabbles have become part and parcel of the local sport’s landscape. Football clubs are still struggling to put their houses in order, while the administration of the game still has significant gaps. Political fights are the order of the day with other sport codes like karate, chess, and volleyball joining in the unwanted melee.
The internecine fights present one step backward for sport, instead of a pull clear dash. The minister responsible for sport Tumiso Rakgare, his permanent secretary Kitso Kemoeng and the Botswana National Sport Commission have promised to crack the whip on errant codes. However, this has been a song sung for the longest time with the sport fraternity waiting to see if the whip will finally crack.
Football is looking for its biggest moment as it bids to co-host the 2027 AFCON finals with Namibia. However, there are concerns with the quality of facilities. Botswana has already successfully hosted the 2014 Africa Youth Games and the 2027 World Youth Netball Cup, two significant events that tested the country's ability to organise international sporting events. However, the AFCON bid presents a new different dimension, with massive infrastructure upgrades required.
The Youth Games and the netball tournaments were hosted only in Gaborone, while football has to be spread across the country.