19 Feb 2025

A masters sport and athletics academy coordinator, Tshepo Joseph has come up with the Seniors Recreation Healthcare Programme (SRHP) which is aimed at helping elders in Gaborone and surrounding areas to keep fit by playing sport.

Joseph said in an interview that they were targeting to make senior citizens participate in sporting activities such as basketball and athletics. He said they collaborated with the University of Botswana last year in March to help the elders with facilities, which he said came in handy given that the elders could even take a walk in the campus before training.

“Most elders don’t participate in sport generally. Because when you walk out there as an elder, you need certain amenities, but then again, they are scared of accidents and crime. But now for their general walking, they can use the UB campus,” he said.

Furthermore, he said the programme gave free admition to elders aged 60 years and above.

“In short, the programme is for the citizens who are 60 years and above, but also caters for those who are 50 years and above,” he added.

Joseph said the SRHP would be officially launched on February 28 and therefore appealed to more elders to join in large numbers.

An SRHP member, Stella Monageng, who is 76 years old, said she joined the programme in 2023. She said when they started, some of the elders were on wheelchairs and others were on crutches, and the coordinator’s mission was to keep all the elders busy by training and playing sport.

Monageng said a lot of the elderly people were lonely out there and it resulted in depression, adding that the programme was what “the doctor has prescribed” for them. She said the programme also provided a nice social platform, given that after playing sport, they socialised and talked about their problems.

“Again, sometimes on Fridays, we share a healthy breakfast; some will come with fruits, and smoothies. We share, play music and dance,” Monageng said. ENDS