The Botswana Caving and Explorers Club (friends of the caves) recently organised a wellness and sporting event at Xaixai settlement to promote cave tourism and conservation at Gcwihaba caves located in the North West District.
The two-day event brought together ladies and men’s football clubs from XaiXai and Qangwa settlements. The event also featured 100m and relay races. A medical doctor was also in attendance as part of an outreach program to bring health services to the communities.
Club Patron Tuelo Moloko told Times Sport that they decided to hold the event after realising the need to promote the caves taking into consideration the role it plays in promoting local tourism and improving the livelihoods of communities living within that area.
He added that they also saw the need to expose XaiXai and Qangwa residents to sporting events as a way to entertain them and promote their wellbeing since they rarely engage in sports as communities living in remote areas.
Moloko stated that their intention is to attract more sponsors to support the event, as it can market the caves internationally and attract tourists. He added that during the event they visited the caves in order to familiarise their new members as well as to raise awareness about the caves.
“Communities in the area came in large numbers to support the event and were excited to take part in sporting activities hence we intend to continue with the event and bring more sporting codes, ‘he said.
Moloko has since appealed to different stakeholders to support the event so that it can grow and attract more international participants as that would promote cave tourism and conservation. He urged the general public to visit the caves in order to discover their beauty and uniqueness.
“Our desire is to see the caves being developed with modern infrastructure to enhance the introduction of more entertainment activities,” he said.
Botswana Caving and Explorers Club is a social club that was formed in 2016 by former Gcwihaba Cave employees who discovered some of the existing caves within the Gcwihaba area. The club focuses on promoting caving as a sport.
