‘Dose’ treated to family appreciation dinner

Keto Segwai | Friday December 8, 2023 06:48

Photo Caption: Mosimanyane (right) with Liberian sprinter, Emmanuel Matadi at the Maun family appreciation dinner. (Photo courtesy: Mogae Lekau)

Outstanding athletics coach, Kebonyemodisa ‘Dose’ Mosimanyane has thanked his family for being supportive of his career path.

Mosimanyane was speaking at an appreciation dinner organised on Friday night in Maun by his family – the Mosimanyanes, the Modises, the Segwais, and the Lekaus.

Mosimanyane, also popularly known as ‘Dose’, particularly thanked his mother, Kgomotso Mosimanyane for “giving me space”. He explained that the given space meant accommodation for his athletic charges.

The young charges are often drawn from remote villages around Ngamiland and have no relatives in Maun to put up while here for training at the town’s sporting facilities.

He would then ask his mother if he could bring in some youngsters. Though it would be agreed that the accommodation has reached full capacity, the kind-hearted Mma-Mosimanyane would often find extra space to accommodate more aspiring athletes.

Dose thanked his mother for being supportive from the start of his athletics journey to when he reached the professional stage including the time when “go le lefifi go fitlhelela go apoga (it was dark clouds ahead of a silver lining)”.

He recalled a time when he was under pressure from friends to start charging for his coaching services. He sought his parents’ advice on the matter and was advised against it, as most aspiring athletes are from economically challenged families. He was instead advised to take it as God’s calling and soldier on until the desired results were realised.

Indeed, today those results are impressive. The list of Dose’s charges reads like the who-is-who of Botswana’s athletics. And that list includes rising stars from Ngamiland - Karabo Sibanda (Boseja-Maun), Leungo Scotch (from Kareng), Tshepiso Mogomotsi (from Chanoga) and many others.

Letsile Tebogo, Scotch, and Bayapo Ndori, who have qualified for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are Mosimanyane’s charges. The trio resumed training on the third week of November in Maun in preparation for the Paris Olympics slated for July 28 to August 11.

Dose was accompanied at the family appreciation dinner by the United States-based Liberian 100-metre sprinter, Emmanuel Matadi. Dose explained that Matadi was in Botswana visiting his friend and African 100-metre champ, Letsile Tebogo.