Rider, ross branch wants Botswana citizenship

THATO KALA
Correspondent | Monday July 11, 2011 00:00

Branch, who has lived in Botswana for 25 years, wants to compete at the inter-continental race as a true Motswana and is in the process of assuming local citizenship.

Although he has a South African passport, Branch is always referred to as a Motswana whenever he participates in international races.

'At the end of the year we've got a big inter-continental race which has the whole of Africa and a couple of European countries participating in Kenya and I'm trying to get my passport so I can go there as a true Motswana and fly the Botswana flag high. I need a lot of support because I cannot do this on my own,' Branch told The Monitor Sport.

The 25-year-old motor racer was born in Johannesburg before his parents brought him to Jwaneng three days after his birth. Prior to his birth, his parents had been living in Jwaneng for five years. His dad, formerly employed by Debswana, came to the country in 1982.

'Botswana is my home that's why everybody calls me a Motswana. I've lived here my whole life. We're busy sorting out my citizenship, but there was a problem before I turned 21 because they said my dad had to be a citizen before I could be a citizen,' he said.

Branch, who has won the last 10 local motor-cross championships, prides himself in being called a Motswana.

He once had a five-year stint in Europe where he was doing Motor-crossing and was largely known as a Motswana.

Branch has since fallen in love with the country and considers Botswana his home.

'Everywhere I go around the world I only represent Botswana. It doesn't matter what passport I hold, this is my home, and this is my country. Wherever I go it's always the Botswana flag flying next to my name,' he said.

The stylish motor racer won the recent 750 kilometre Desert Race and singles it out as the most difficult race he has ever participated in.

'It was good; it's not easy to do 750 kilometres so it was difficult. It was one of the toughest races I've ever raced in with the 500 km on Thursday and then 250 yesterday, but it was good. There was a lot of competition from South Africa and Zambia but we put the Botswana flag on top and we came out first.

I'm very happy about that.' In 2004, he won his first All African Championships gold medal in Namibia.

Two years later, he won the same competition in Kenya before repeating the same feat in Namibia in 2008.