Mmegi

Of heat stress, health complications

Seeking solutions: Dr Moses
Seeking solutions: Dr Moses

MAUN, BOTSWANA: There is no winter in Maun. This is a popular phrase one gets to hear once they hit the soils of this northwestern “town” of Botswana. It’s meaning gets more real and much pronounced during the agonizing summer season.

It is early September and only the beginning of summer in Botswana. However, places like Maun have already recorded heights of 36 degrees Celsius. Heatwaves are occurrences that places like Maun have become synonymous with. Maun, the gateway to the pristine inland Okavango Delta, is in the process of being granted city status. The area is a cocktail of both safari businesses and informal entrepreneurship.

Monica Selerilwe, 42, is one of the many street vendors who have had to bear the brunt of the scorching heat as she ekes out a living as a food vendor in the busy Maun taxi rank. It has been a decade now since her food vending business took off.

Editor's Comment
Depression is real; let's take care of our mental health

It is not uncommon in this part of the world for parents to actually punish their children when they show signs of depression associating it with issues of indiscipline, and as a result, the poor child will be lashed or given some kind of punishment. We have had many suicide cases in the country and sadly some of the cases included children and young adults. We need to start looking into issues of mental health with the seriousness it...

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