An act of selflessness by a Shorobe man in volunteering and championing waste collection in the village for over a decade has been rewarded by Wilderness Botswana, who gifted him a new scotch cart to continue with his work.
Using his small scotch cart, Nkaelang Gabanapoloko started this solo initiative in 2008, driven by the desire to keep his village and surroundings.
Even in the face of adversity, where he was mocked by some fellow villagers Gabanapoloko was never deterred, collecting litter from all the homestead in the village to fulfill his desire for a clean Shorobe and the environment. He would later get recognition by the North West District Council’ s waste collection unit which then engaged him on a contract and only then would he start getting paid.
With, what he calls the little incentive, Gabanapoloko continued with his contribution towards environmental sustainability which is very imperative for a village that sits on the edge of the world-renowned heritage site – the Okavango Delta. His good deeds took him through turbulent phases, from dealing with naysayers to breakdowns of his cart which had endure the test of time.
He reveals that for a year, the council stopped the contracted, only to resume it again, and that was when a good Samaritan – Wilderness Botswana noticed his work and immediately decided on getting him a new scotch cart so he does his job hassle free.
“We felt challenged to assist him after noticing the voluntary work that he was doing towards conservation in Shorobe, hence the donation today,” Wilderness Botswana’s Corporate and external affair manager Tafa Tafa said at the hand over ceremony. Tafa said they hope the donation would help in motivating other residents taking a part in keeping the environment clean.
Meanwhile the Gabanapoloko could not hide his excitement as he graciously received his new wheels, citing that his old cart had started giving him problems with frequent breakdowns which disrupted his collection schedule.
“This one is even bigger and will help me collect more litter bags to the dumping site,” he said.
Gabanapoloko also highlighted that the donation has reignited his passion and motivated him do more in keeping the environment clean.
