23 Mar 2025

Botswana’s 800 metres woman athlete, Oratile Nowe is the 2025 Vunani Annual Botswana Women Sports Awards’ Sports Woman of the Year.

Nowe was contesting for the award with Ekua Youri of tennis and Natalie Banda of chess. Sethunya Majama of athletics was crowned Young Promising Athlete of the Year, beating Malak Macheng of tennis and Maya Otimile of chess.

In other categories, Ofentse Bakwadi of karate was crowned HeForShe champion, Umpire of the year was won by Dorothy Okatch of Basketball. Karate women kata team was declared Team of the Year, Tshegofatso Malepa of table tennis won Administrator of the year while Boago Gabontshiwe won the Volunteer of the year award. Paralympic athlete, Gloria Majaga of athletics and Maru Chokwe of Golf won CEO’s special awards.

In the media category, Botswana Press Agency’s Felicty Male won the best Photo-Journalist of the year award while Naledi Lemogang of The Guardian/Midweek Sun won Print Journalist of the Year, and Sports Journalist of the Year-TV went to Katlego Kgakole of Botswana Television, while Sports Journalist of the Year-Radio went to Neo Aabobe.

Speaking at the awards ceremony in Gaborone on Saturday, Minister of Sport and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng said he was happy that this year’s edition was held under the theme: Towards a Safer Playing Field, which aimed to demonstrate the value of sport in combating gender-based violence (GBV) in Botswana.

GBV, he said, was currently a concern not only in Botswana but also across the world, and sport was a tool that could be used to fight it.  Kelebeng therefore said it was imperative to use sport to spread the message to fight GBV.

“As you all know, Botswana is faced with a huge monster called GBV that continues to destroy lives and families. Reports indicate that there is sexual violence, harassment and cyber abuse in sport, and this affects and destroys greatly, particularly, psychologically,” he said.

Furthermore, he said the theme was also important, most appropriate and relevant, as it kept people on track as sport stakeholders, to always prioritise conversations and action toward stopping the monster not only in the society, but also in the fraternity. Kelebeng said sport and arts were no longer just for leisure or hobby but an integral part of the economy.

“It is worth noting that the Vunani Annual Botswana Women Sports Awards endeavours greatly to impact the sport and the creative arts industry,” he said. ENDS