Vilander and Sebako have been recognised as World Athletics Referees Bronze Level. Sebako becomes the first woman in Botswana to attain the status. The duo joins the ranks of some of the top-ranked local referees like Thomas Ndazila, who is the highest-ranked referee in Botswana at silver level, whilst Patrick Moesi and Kenneth Kikwe are bronze-level referees. The two narrated a journey that is, step-by-step, taking them closer to the apex of athletics coaching. Born 48 years ago in Francistown, Sebako was a track athlete, but never made it to the national level competition. She told MmegiSport that she represented Molefi Senior Secondary School and Serowe College of Education as a member of the relay teams. “I am a teacher by profession, which means my involvement in sport was through Botswana Primary School Sport Association (BOPSSA) competitions. “We used to have athletics and ball sport seasons; that was when School Sport existed in government schools. During competition season, we were allocated duties, so my role was to be cricket team manager and athletics referee. One thing that attracted me to officiating is to assist in moulding the future of athletes through the rules of the game, being part of the growth of an athlete by showing them what is required of them,” she explained. Sebako, a teacher at Kumakwane Primary School, revealed that she became fully engaged in athletics in 2022 after being part of the Gaborone International Meet (GIM), and she was encouraged to enrol for an officiating course in Zimbabwe. She said the motivation was that there were fewer women athletics referees in the country, and in August 2022, she started the course. Sebako explained that 11 locals pursued the course, with 10 passing, whilst one failed to make the grade. “My first major event was the 2023 FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix where only qualified referees were engaged. I have been part of the event since its inception. That was followed by the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) Track and Field Series, Cross Country events, and I also officiated during marathons. I officiated at international competitions, such as the 2026 Debswana World Athletics Relays and the Lefika International Relays,” she said. Sebako noted that there is a lot to learn in officiating because the rules change all the time, and there is a need to keep up. She said in March 2026, she was nominated to be one of the four officials to do the bronze level course.
She said there were two women and two men, adding that their male counterparts had attempted the course before, whilst it was a first try for the women. “Remember, this was happening while we were preparing for Debswana World Athletics Relays; it was an event after another. There was no time for us to meet, each of us due to different reasons. Ndazila made sure that we attended online lessons. I was revising with a group that was based in Zimbabwe; they assisted me a lot. My dream is to see myself attaining the gold level status. I am going to stay four years as a bronze referee before I can be allowed to push for the silver level badge,” Sebako said. Her advice to other referees is that anything is possible as long as they are determined; highlighting that obstacles will be there, including rejection, but that should not deter them.
