Africa-Press – Botswana. Orapa Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines (OLDM) finance department employees have been commended for their thoughtfulness, which enabled them to provide shelter at Buuhe ward in Letlhakane.
Their noble gesture was hailed by assistant general manager of OLDM, Mr Ditiro Lentswe on Thursday during the handover ceremony.
He said shelter was an important aspect of life, and a basic need that played an instrumental role in restoring one’s dignity.
The employees raised funds to donate a house worth P83 000 to Ms Baamogetse Bashi.
He stated that Debswana encouraged its employees to engage in voluntary service to build stronger linkages and partnerships in their area of influence in order to realise the company’s purpose of making life brilliant, as well as building Forever programme.
Mr Lentswe noted that whilst government was the overall custodian of social protection programmes, she could not do it alone.
He said it was therefore commendable to see employees leading by example and heeding government’s call for a partnership that would see Botswana realising Vision 2036 goals.
“Government, the private sector and individuals alike could all offer a helping hand for the improvement of lives of those who were unfortunate.
Collectively we can make a lasting contribution to the lives of Batswana,” he said.
He noted that their area of influence had a number of vulnerable communities and Buuhe was no exception, adding that it was therefore imperative for Debswana and its employees to actively take steps in assisting in the betterment of communities surrounding their operations.
The donation, he said, did not only give the Bashi family a house to live in, but had also given them a place to call home and had brought the family together under one roof, saying it would go a long way towards improving the livelihoods of the family.
He said he was pleased to learn that the donation was done through contributions of employees within the finance, contract management and supply chain management departments.
The senior finance manager Ms Chipo Petros said their relationship with the beneficiary began during the COVID-19 era when they donated clothes to her
The beneficiary, Ms Bashi expressed delighted towards the noble gesture extended to her, as it had restored her dignity.
Ms Bashi, who used to be accommodated in other people’s homes, said she had faced a lot of humiliation and shame as she was, on several occasions, evicted by those who had offered her accommodation.
Buuhe ward Councilor, Mr Ntebogang Kgosi extolled Debswana for their immense contribution towards the developments in Boteti.
Mr Kgosi said OLDM had also assisted with building classrooms at Seaseole Primary School in his ward.
For his part, Boteti Council chairperson, Mr Molemi Galeragwe said he believed that the partnership between Debswana and the community of Boteti would grow immensely to bring developments in the district.
He implored Debswana employees to offer support to the community through giving motivational speech and empowering them with life skills, as well as helping public officers to enhance service delivery and match their standards, saying they should not only offer financial support.
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