27 May 2018

President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his family on Saturday (May 26) joined thousands of aviation enthusiasts at the annual Wesbank Matsieng Air Show held in Rasesa.

Also in attendance was fourth president, Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama, who received cheques donated to different organisations.

Lady Khama Charitable Trust, Motswedi Rehabilitation Centre and Pudulogong Centre for the Blind each received P50 000 from different sponsors.

Also as part of charity, Wesbank and Matsieng Flying Club, the hosts of the annual event, on Friday (May 25) treated students from different schools in Kgatleng district.

In an interview, Head of Wesbank Business, Tshikanyana Sesinyi said about 12 students were flown for 15 minutes in the sky, which was a great experience for them.

He explained that they were flown in a Russian planed, dubbed Little Ani, adding they started last year but this year they held it at a much higher scale.

That, he said, gave the children, some of them primary school students aged 10, an opportunity to fully know and understand how an aeroplane works, rather than just see them in the sky.

The initiative, he said would become an annual event and rotate amongst different schools.

In addition, he said students might be encouraged to take a career in aviation.

Some of the students who were taken on a ride explained that it was exciting although they were scared at first.

It was their first time to be flying and they said they flew over Gaborone and returned to Rasesa airbase. Meanwhile, the Saturday event kicked off on a high note, a tempo which was carried right to the end.

Although the first plans took the skies after 10am, some patrons arrived at the event as early as 8am so as to choose the best spots and avoid traffic.

Transportation was made available for those who found the distance from the gate to the airstrip tiring.

Other than planes, there was a dirt bike display and several people had the opportunity to ride on them. ENDS