Africa-Press – Botswana. Despite breaking national records and emerging as a World Championships medal contender, Botswana’s 800m sensation Oratile Nowe is rising without any support. Nevertheless, she keeps breaking the national record under the guide of her South Africa-based coach, Samuel Sepeng, who has been talking to TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO.
Oratile Nowe’s stunning 1:56.76 in the women’s 800m last weekend did more than shatter the national record — it underlined a trajectory that has been nothing short of sensational.
At just 24, the middle-distance runner is rewriting Botswana’s athletics history from a training base in neighbouring South Africa.
The man responsible for this revolution in Botswana’s 800m is training under the radar — far from government-funded tracks or fanfare. Her name is echoing in elite athletics circles globally, yet her support system remains paper-thin in her home country.
“She is hungry for more”
“She’s doing this because she believes in herself,” said her coach, Samuel Sepeng, in a telephone conversation from Pretoria. “She listens, she works hard, and she ran exactly to plan last weekend.”
Nowe is under the guidance of Sepeng at the Sepeng Athletics Project in Pretoria, a hub that has become a sanctuary for Botswana’s talent.
“She’s disciplined and grounded,” he added. “One thing I admire about her is that she knows this is her job. She wants to do it well, and she is hungry for more.”
“There’s no support from Botswana”
Yet, as Nowe climbs global rankings and closes in on the podium at the upcoming World Championships, a cloud lingers. “The sad part is support,” Sepeng lamented.
“There’s no support from Botswana. People are happy about her times, but do they know what she eats or where she sleeps? No, they don’t.”
This isn’t an athlete asking to be pampered. Neither is her coach looking for compensation. Recognition, said Sepeng, would suffice.
“I don’t remember receiving a letter, a call, anything from the Botswana Athletics Association, the National Olympic Committee, or BNSC,” he added, his voice fading in frustration.
Bewildering
“I am not asking for money. Just a thank you. These athletes go through so much by themselves. But when they win, that’s when everyone wants to be involved.”
It is a silence that feels more than bureaucratic but almost personal. For Sepeng, a South African who has mentored some of Botswana’s best — including Tshepiso Masalela, Tumo Nkape, and Kethobogile Haingura — the absence of national interest is bewildering.
“Do they even want medals in the 800m? If they did, they would show it. It’s not just Nowe. I’m helping several Batswana athletes here in South Africa. They get no support. But we are all African brothers, and I will continue doing it,” he vowed.
A record climb
Nowe’s upward trajectory has been methodical and relentless. Since March, her performances have tracked a clear arc of improvement. She ran 1:59.46 on 12 March, followed by 1:59.22 on 4 April and 1:58.96 on 12 April.
Then came a national record of 1:58.47 on 31 May, bettered again to 1:57.49 on 24 June. Just days ago, she lowered the national record yet again with a superb 1:56.76.
Her rise is a result of consistency, planning and trust, particularly in a coach who understands middle-distance running like only few others.
“Oratile is ready”
Samuel Sepeng, brother of South African Olympic medallist Hezekiél Sepeng, brings elite know-how into a space where athletes often go without basics. “When I told Oratile not to be afraid, she trusted me. That’s what I mean when I talk about self-belief.”
But belief, without backing, is fragile. And Sepeng fears that without structural support, this golden window might close just as quickly as it opened. “Oratile is ready,” he asserted. “But how long can she and others keep pushing without their own country behind them?”
The question now hangs not just over Nowe’s career but over the soul of Botswana’s middle-distance future.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
