Ntimbale challenge to create opportunities
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Friday March 4, 2016 12:39
The challenge, amongst others, seeks to promote Ntimbale Dam as a tourist destination.
Kgosi Thuso Ramokate of Makaleng village said that the Ntimbale Challenge would create opportunities through job-creation for the people of the eight villages surrounding the dam.
He noted that the challenge would enable the use of natural and wildlife resources.
He noted that the Ntimbale Dam, through the challenge, would generate revenue, which will stimulate the economy for the villagers and district. When giving the objectives of the event, the organiser, Oteng Mokowe, said Ntimbale Challenge would create tourism related employment and eradicate poverty in the Northeast District.
He added that Ntimbale Dam would therefore become a recreational place, which tourists from Francistown can use as a gateway to Kasane for more tourism adventures.
“Ntimbale is a film set view, which in future we want international film directors and producers to use as a venue for shooting movie because the place has an open-eye viewing to see the sky,” he said. Mokowe revealed that the event is a cultural exchange experience involving different ethnic groups to share their traditions.
He pleaded with businesses to sponsor the event so that they can encourage the development of the natural resources in the district.
A representative from the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture (MYSC), Boikarabelo Diane said that as the sponsors their mandate is to promote culture and heritage.
She said that they sponsored Ntimbale Challenge under the arts and culture grants.
“We are celebrating a certain element of culture, which is dance and music. MYSC is here to ensure that there is quality of cultural exchange between different ethnic groups in the country,” she added.
She encouraged people to take advantage of the grants offered by the ministry and use natural resources and physical structures to make a living. She added that environment and physical structures play a crucial role in promoting culture. The Minister of Science, Infrastructure and Technology, Nonofo Molefhi applauded the organisers of the event saying that they should continue hosting it as it brings different cultures together. He urged them to create a website after the event so that they can market Ntimbale Challenge and attract a lot of investors to gain sponsorship.
“It is important to build a trust so that you can bring out developments that the government did not meet,” he said.
Molefhi encouraged the organisers and leaders to apply for land allocation at the Ntimbale Dam so that in the near future they can build a resort to attract more tourists and create different opportunities for villagers.
“If we develop this place it will attract tourists from Francistown. They will visit the place for relaxation and family vacations and even open a place, which sells crafts,” Molefhi said.
Member of Parliament for Tati East, Biggie Butale, shared the same sentiments with the minister noting that Ntimbale Challenge will create opportunities for the villagers in the Northeast District.
He said the district has a lot of tourism sites including the Domboshaba Ruins and they should make use of them and improve the tourism industry. Different traditional groups provided entertainment doing a variety of dances, which included Polka, Seperu, Hosanna, Tsutsube, Dikhwaere and others.
The challenge continued with bikes, quads, peak challenge and rafting that took place at the dam. The Chinese Embassy also sponsored the Ntimbale Challenge.