Heritage buildings destroyed at old Sekgoma Hospital

Old Sekgoma Memorial Hospital main building under construction PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES
Old Sekgoma Memorial Hospital main building under construction PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES

In 2015 after the Bechuanaland Resident Commissioner’s house was demolished, President Ian Khama, speaking at Serowe kgotla where he is the paramount chief, pleaded with authorities to desist from destroying relic buildings because of their heritage significance. But hardly two years after Khama’s plea, an 89-year-old landmark in the village has been destroyed. Staff Writer THALEFANG CHARLES reports

The old Sekgoma Memorial Hospital’s monumental main building has been destroyed as part of an ongoing refurbishment exercise meant to build a clinic at the old hospital. This is part of a Ministry of Health and Wellness project to utilise the dilapidated buildings that were abandoned when the new P300 million state of the art hospital was first opened in 2007.

The “refurbishment project” did not take into consideration the heritage value that the old main building has in the history of Serowe, Bangwato and Botswana. The relics have been completely defaced.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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