Merafhe left a gap in our team-Miscellaneous
Chakalisa Dube | Tuesday January 20, 2015 12:58
He was speaking at Merafhe’s funeral service held at Botalaote ward in Serowe on Saturday.
“He contributed a lot to the development of the team. Football has now become very scientific and technical.
“This dynamism in the game requires a lot of resources in order for teams to compete and Merafhe was among those who provided those resources on a constant basis.
“The resources he contributed also helped the team stay afloat,” Sefhako said.
He added that the late former VP also spearheaded fund raising initiatives in a bid to help the team sustain itself and compete effectively.
“Merafhe’s death has left a huge gap in our team.” Merafhe has been the team’s patron for 30 years. Apart from donations Merafhe has held fund raising initiatives to help the team.However, things changed when he fell ill. Towards the end of 2011, Merafhe held a dinner at his house in Serowe to raise funds for the team. Companies pledged over half million pula to sponsor the team.
However, companies later did not give out the money after Merafhe fell ill early in 2012.
Merafhe was also a father figure and motivator to the players and team officials according to team the Miscellaneous official.
President Ian Khama is also a staunch supporter of the club and has constantly backed the team when a need arose.
Speaking at the team funeral, the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) president Negroes Kgosietsile said that Merafhe should be honoured for his great service to the nation. He said that his wish is for government to identify one of the sporting facilities or any public facility and name it after the late former VP as a way of honouring him.