The Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) hosted the induction ceremony of the 8th Botswana Sport Hall of Fame on 10th November 2021. The ceremony was held at the National Stadium from 1900hrs. The Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Hon. Tumiso Rakgare, officiated at the event and inducted the four sportsmen and woman for the year 2021. The four (4) inductees were Mr. Glody Dube, Mr. Lephimotswe Boyce Sebetela, Ms. Kgololesego “Freedom” Diraditsile and Mr. Letsholo Letsholo.
Botswana Sports Hall of Fame was established with an objective to preserve the heritage of sport in Botswana and also to recognise those who have made a significant contribution to sport. The inaugural Botswana Sport Hall of Fame induction was held on the 20th March 2014 at the National Stadium, Gaborone. The National Stadium VIP Lounge is the home of the Botswana Sport Hall of Fame and it houses inductees’ plagues from the year 2014 to the year 2020. The Class of 2021 plagues will also be erected at the Hall of Fame.
The Induction ceremonies are held annually and so far have been very successful. Inductees were inducted into the Botswana Sport Hall of Fame by the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development in the presence of the BNSC and Botswana National Olympic Committee Board members, management, National Sport Associations, Sport Sponsors and other stakeholders.
Summary Profiles of Botswana Sport Hall of Fame Class of 2021
Mr Glody Dube
Mr. Glody Dube was the first Motswana to qualify for Olympic finals; doing so at the Sydney Games in 2000 in the Men’s 800m event. In the late 90s and early to mid-2000s, Mr. Dube was the standard torchbearer for Botswana sport, not only captivating the nation but also inspiring many up and coming athletes across sport disciplines in Botswana.
His conquests in sport, including his impeccable discipline record are what led to him being honoured with a Presidential Order of Meritorious Service award, amongst others.
After retirement from sport, Mr. Dube held the position of Vice President at Botswana Athletics Association. He was appointed the General Manager of Team Botswana at the Africa Youth Championships and also a General Manager of the Athletics Team to the Rio 2016 Olympics Games in 2016. Mr Glody Dube is the founder and organiser of the Gaborone International Meet; the biggest privately organised international athletics competitions in Botswana.
Mr. Lephimotswe Boyce Sebetela
Mr. Lephimotswe Boyce Sebetela has been involved in sports in various capacities. He was a National Team and Matshwane volleyball player. After retirement, he served as Secretary General and President for the Botswana Volleyball Federation. He is a co-founder of the Kalavango Volleyball Club. Mr. Sebetela was appointed at Secretary General/Treasurer of Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) Zone VI. He championed the cause for women in sport and played a leading and pivotal role in the establishment of Women and Sport Botswana (WASBO) to which he appointed Dorcas Makgato to lead the first committee.
Mr. Sebetela served as the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) Chairperson from 1995 to 1998. During his tenure as Chairperson of the BNSC, he championed the development of the BNSC’s first ever strategic plan; the Vision 2012 that remains the Botswana National Sport Commission’s guiding document to date.
He led a team that established the tier system for sport codes; tier 1, 2, 3 and others. Hospitality kit, the Sport Development Fund, Elite Scholarship Fund and strict procedures for international competitions were established during his tenure as the BNSC Chairperson. He also signed a memorandum of agreement with Cuba for technical officers; leading to a proliferation of good performances by Batswana athletes at competitions such as the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
Ms. Kgololesego ‘Freedom’ Diraditsile
Ms. Kgololesego “Freedom” Diraditsile was an active netball player from 1987 until she retired in 2012. During her athletic era, she led her blub BDF Cats to numerous various accolades nationally, in addition to being a constant in the national team, which she captained for many years.
Ms Diraditsile has also held numerous officiating positions in netball and has been a committee member in various development structures.
Ms Diraditsile has also served in various national team portfolios. She holds the Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations. (COSANA) B+ umpire certificate and is an accredited Africa C Netball Tutor by the International Netball Federation.
Mr. Letsholo Letsholo
Mr. Letsholo Letsholo played a pivotal role in positioning the Botswana Athletics Association to be one of the best National Sport Associations in Botswana. He is also amongst the very few administrators to have served on both Boards of the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) and Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC); doing so concurrently at some point.
Mr Letsholo has been involved in sport administration for over 27 years; specializing in the areas of finance, administration and strategic planning.
Mr. Letsholo was amongst the brains behind the Public Debt Service Fund (PDSF) raising funds that led to the building of the National Stadium, serving as a Treasurer of that structure.
Mr. Letsholo is credited with setting up the governance systems and structures in financial and procurement policies at both the BNSC and BNOC and it was largely through his efforts that financial accounting was enhanced in sport.
MINISTER’S FOREWORD
“It gives me immense pleasure to be officiating at this auspicious event; one through which we honour and celebrate Batswana men and women with noteworthy achievements in sport.
I am happy that the Sport Hall of Fame induction ceremony is not amongst events that have had to be either cancelled or postponed on account of the Covid-19, for such would have been a serious injustice to Botswana sport and Batswana.
This is so because unlike Sport Awards for example, which make use of very recent and current performances, the Hall of Fame concept is generally based on historical performances, service and/or achievements; usually over sustained periods of time.
Having had a glimpse at the profiles of those to be inducted tonight, I can confidently state that they are phenomenal Batswana; trailblazers in their own right, who worked selflessly to either bring glory to the country and/or put Botswana sport in a path towards future success.
Congratulations to all who will be inducted tonight into the Botswana Sports Hall of Fame as “CLASS OF 2021”. It means you have played a big part in the development of sport in Botswana and you will always be remembered as Botswana Sports Hall of Fame is to preserve and maintain the rich history and culture associated with Botswana Sports.
I wish to thank everyone for their audience and please stay safe and observe the safety protocols to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”