Extra! Extra! Read all about it...

So its been a while since the lavender walk and it seems people have put it out of their minds. For the walkers its not forgotten, some are still nursing injuries from the walk, some are contemplating new wardrobes because of the kilos they have shed. One intrepid reporter decided to tell their story in their own words. What follows is a look at the walk from the perspective of a walker. It is a candid look at what happened on the walk and talks about the experiences we've had, some of them hilarious and some of them just so profound they make you realize that it only takes one person to make a difference. It doesn't take lots of money or a big name it just takes one person doing one good deed and sometimes the sacrifice becomes insignificant in the face of the lives you touch. Buy this week(1-7th September)'s Sunday Standard to read all about it. This is a must read get your copy now....

REST DAY!

Today is my birthday, which marks the 6th day of this ADVENTURE and our first official REST DAY!

Yesterday was a tough day..5 days of walking and the feet KNOW it..

The first leg done and having a restful day courtesy of Cresta Botsalo.

We arrived after 2200hrs yesterday yet.. we are still thinking about completing this walk - The blisters, ankles, knees and feet are rearing their ugly heads but the WHOLE TEAM - Neo Nkele, Acirfa Boipuso Mothoosile, Khumoyame Gaobolelelwe, Sharon N Munyoro, Kadimo Galeboe and Khumoyame Mogotsi are still positive that Gaborone is the final destination. 

With communities hospitality is overwhelming especially the Topisi welcome we got and send off where 3 ladies walked the first 10kms with us.

The police have been so supportive and we even had the Serule police alternate and walk the different distances with us.

Not a day goes by that we thank God, our families, friends and sponsors for believing in us and carrying us through is EPIC ADVENTURE

- Sharon N Munyoro

Day 5

The longest walk - literally!

Today we walked to Palapye. We managed to cover a total of 70km. 
"Got into palapye at 21:55 last night...walked 15hrs and today it feels like my feet shud be removed." - Khumo G

There were several breaks and it was hard to get back up but we got to it over and over again. A really great team! Also a great motivation to know that we get to spend tomorrow, our first day of rest, at Cresta Hotel in Palapye. Silver lining - 242km covered.

Day 4

Day 4 - 131km walked!

Soldiering on despite the heat and the blisters and the fast cars on the A1. Also thanks to RB2 for the media coverage today!

Walking into Topisi was a highly emotional event...for the first time on this trip people came and met us on the A1 and went with us back to their village singing the whole way...it made the swollen feet so worth it... touched beyond words...

time for some much needed sleep...

DAY 3

Day 3 - 80km down

Leaving Foley Siding and heading to Serule...

First 100km completed at 1121hrs. Just started the 2nd hundred km and feeling good. No cramps yet just normal muscle pain and the first blisters.

Government and all working well at the moment. Fingers crossed it stays that way. Thanks to a good friend who dropped in to make a donation to our fuel fund. Feeling so blessed.

Serule police are amazing with one of them even walked some of the distance with us.

Did it without incident - 51km. Realized however, that dikgotla like Tonota and Serule kgotlas are quite a distance from the A1. Long day!!
131km covered altogether.

Day 2

Day 2 - 38,7km behind us.

Started at 06.45. And we are off....just left Tonota...many thanks to Kgosi Radipitse who's hospitality knew no bounds.

And refreshed by KBL's drinks and filled up by sandwiches made with Senn Foods products , we were ready to get back on the road to Foley Siding!

Finally in Foley.42km covered... Its been a long walk...today was rough. Received by the Kgosi, Kgosi Khumo. Did a presentation that was well received and were offered the VDC room to sleep.

Had no power and slept at 7pm and we were up at midnight! What to expect on day 3?....

80km covered!!

Hit the road Jack

Well this time Jack takes a back seat and Sharon, Khumo G, Neo, Khumo M, Kadimo and Boipuso do the hitting. Arrived at Cresta Thapama in the early hours of Sunday morning.

 Thanks to the people who stepped up and provided transport. And the chase was on. We went after our goal - increasing cancer awareness and equipping as many people as possible with the knowledge they need to join the fight against cancer.

DAY 1 - 0 km down.   Bright and early, 06:00 a.m to be exact, we got dressed for day one. Freezing cold and pretty dark out, going outside was a daunting thought. But we dressed the part, manned up and warmed each other up with laughter.

After 20km started to feel the strain of it all but then there it was: Shashe and it's amazing river. The view is breath-taking.

14.24hrs : we made it!!! Just as planned 38.7km down and everyone in one piece. Hello Tonota!
 A great start.

Dinokwe(Palla road)

Dinokwe (Palla Road) is a village located in the Central District of Botswana. The town has about 1,200 inhabitants[2000 censors] and is situated along the main road between the capital Gaborone and the second largest city Francistown. Dinokwe has a cattle railway station. The underground water reserves of Botswana are at Dinokwe. Before the construction of North side carrier project, it was supplying Mahalapye (population 42600) with water. Being situated on the edge of the Kalahari desert it is quite dry, and the local waterways are dry except during the rainy season. In recent times, the largest coal reserves in Southern Africa has been found appr 15 km from Dinokwe

Serule

Kgosi Modisa of Serule has also graciously agreed to let us use his kgotla to raise cancer awareness. He will also be sending a small delegation to walk with us.

Serule is a village in Central District of Botswana. The village is located along the road between Francistown and Palapye, and is an important railroad junction with rails leading towards north to Francistown, south to Palapye and east to the mining town of Selebi-Phikwe, 72 km from Palapye north up the A1 road, 88 km from Francistown down south the A1 road and 60 km west of Selibe Phikwe to the T-Junction. 

Demographics

The population according to the 2001 census was 2,268 and it is estimated at more than 3000 in the latest 2011 census. The people of Serule Village comprise of different ethnicities namely Bangwato, Bakwena, Batalaote, Bakalanga, Bahurutshe and its five wards are Borotsi, Mokwena, Botalaote, Basimaneng and Leupane.

Infrastructural development

Although Serule is a small village with a small population, over the past decades there have been significant growth in terms of infrastructural development. The housing system is evidently almost at par with urban and modern houses. Much of the amenities that can be seen in other parts of Botswana and urban places are present in Serule. Botswana's Number 10 Police Commanding District is situated in Serule. Its strategic position along the country's main A1 road has led to the establishment of the WeightBridge for trucks and other big vehicles in the early 2000s. The village also enjoys a significant kilometres of tarred roads within. Also present is the Majoje monument, situated in the Majoje hills which is like a museum of the village.

Economy

The people of Serule Village are mostly farmers and depend much on agriculture although there is a significant number of natives who eke out a living from both formal and informal employment within the village and outside in urban areas. A majority of them are into subsistence farming. They own livestock in cattleposts of Makgorwane, Libu, Xomexhwa, and Seokane. Majoje lands are the most common place for the natives where they till the land for agricultural production.
Small scale manufacturing for household items is also evident as well as traces of handicrafts and wood carvings. There is a high rate of harvesting of the seasonal caterpillar of a Mopane worm known as Phane (scientific name Gonimbrasia belina). Phane is an important source of protein for millions of indigenous Southern Africans and a valuable source of income where it is sold after being harvested, cooked and dried.

Topisi

Kgosi Kgomotso of Topisi has also given permission for the use of his Kgotla to raise cancer awareness. He will also be sending some people to walk with us.

Foley siding

Kgosi Khumo of Foley Siding has also graciously agreed to let us use his kgotla to educate his people about cancer. He will also be sending a small delegation to walk with us.

Tonota, the first stop

Kgosi Ramosoniyi Radipitse of Tonota was the first to get on board. His village is our first stop during the walk. Representatives from his office will meet us along the way and will walk into Tonota with us..

Tonota is a village located in the Central District of Botswana.
The people in Tonota are said to be Bakhurutshe who fought against some other tribes they found there and after winning the war, they owned the land and they became 'Ba bina khama le phofu'. The name Tonota is said to be spelled THONOTHA (pronounced DONOTHA) in natural Sekhurutshe but was changed to Tonota due to the influence of the Tswana Languages. The village is located 27 kilometers south of the City of Francistown along the A1 (Francistown-Gaborone) road. It lies along the Southwest bank of Shashe River, which happens to the border between the Central and North East Districts, so Tonota is considered to be in the Central District. Tonota is a large territory divided into small segments, namely: Tonota Village in the South, Semotswane, Mandunyane, and Shashe Bridge to the north.It was promoted to sub-district from under Tutume in 2003.

There is also a college (Tonota College of Education(TCE)). The member of parliament for Tonota South under, the village of Tonota is Hon. Pono P.P Moatlhodi and the member of the parliament for Tonota North constituency which is not associated with Tonota village, is Hon. Fidelis Mmilili Molao.
Tonota like many other villages in Botswana,has many tribes living in it but the majority are Bakhurutshe who occupy the Tholo, Molebatsi, Maaloso, Maunya (Main Khurutshe ward), Madisakwana and Mhakamme wards, and Bakalanga who live in the Manyanda ward. There are also Barotsi in Leomboko ward and BaShona(Zezuru) in Mandunyane. Most of the people from Tonota speak Sekhurutshe-SeNgwato (a language which is merely an inclusion of Kalanga-like words in SeNgwato) and Kalanga.

The start point Francistown

Francistown is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 100,079 and 150,800 inhabitants for its agglomeration at the 2011 census and often described as the "Capital of the North". It is located in eastern Botswana, about 400 kilometres north-northeast from the capital, Gaborone. Francistown is located at the confluence of the Tati and Inchwe rivers, and near the Shashe River (tributary to the Limpopo) and 90 kilometres from the international border with Zimbabwe. Francistown was the centre of southern Africa's first gold rush, and is still surrounded by old and abandoned mines. The City of Francistown is an administrative district, separated from North-East District. It is administered by Francistown City Council.

History

Although evidence of habitation by humans goes back around 10,000 years, written evidence is more recent. The Ndebele came through the area in the 1830s on their way to Bulawayo, bringing their culture and influence to the Kalanga area of north-eastern Botswana. Reportedly, Nyangabgwe was the nearest village to Francistown to have been visited by Europeans, when it was visited by Robert Moffat. Moffat was followed in 1867 by a gold prospector, Karl Mauch who found Bakalanga mining gold along the Tati River.
The present town was founded in 1897,by bakalanga as a settlement near the Monarch mine and named after Daniel Francis, an English prospector who acquired prospecting licenses in the region in 1869. Francis was a director of the Tati Concessions Company, who stole all the land in the settlement. The center of the new town was formed when the company sold off 300 lots in August of that year. The Monarch mine was not the only mine in operation at that time, and it was widely believed that Francistown would grow rapidly.
In the beginning, the town comprised one street east of, and parallel to the railway line. This street featured a several companies, including a hotel, retail and wholesale shops and three banks. Behind these were the houses of the few white settlers. Segregated areas were made for mixed race and black people in the satellite township and between the railway and the river respectively. Today this very street, Tainton Avenue, still carries the white origins on its back.
After Botswana gained its independence in 1966, Francistown was no longer segregated.
In 1997 the town became a city, being the second largest city in Botswana.

Economy

Mining

Francistown is located on Botswana's main air and road transport routes; mining and agriculture are important. Principal mining companies include Tati Nickel, owned by Norilsk Nickel, which has operations at the Selkirk Mine and Phoenix Mine, producing principally cobalt, copper and nickel.

Media

The city's media fraternity is still at its infant stage. The media includes Botswana's The Voice newspaper, which was founded in 1993. This is a very much popular tabloid newspaper that also has its wings spread to the capital city, Gaborone

Demographics and health

Ever since the founding of Francistown as a gold mining and railway centre in the nineteenth century, the city‟s population has consistently shown a steady increase. Francistown is Botswana‟s second largest city with 22.7% of the country‟s urban population in 1991. The growth of Selebi-Phikwe, Orapa and Jwaneng since 1971, together with the very rapid growth of Gaborone, has reduced Francistown‟s share of the total urban population from a figure of 34.7% in 1971. In the same period (1971-1991), the country‟s urban population grew by 427.2% from 54 411 to a population of 287 063. The Bakalanga, the second largest ethnic group in Botswana are traditionally centred around the town and the surrounding area.

Culture and tourism

Thapama hotel

Francistown is home to the Supa Ngwao Museum, with exhibits related to the area's history and heritage. A new nature reserve, Tachila, has been established 5 kilometres from central Francistown on an old Tati Company Farm, Lady Mary. The nature reserve is expected to be a tourism turn-over for the already flourishing city which its variety of wild animals.

Accommodation and Lifestyle

Francistown is home to several hotels and lodges like Cresta Thapama Hotel, Marang Hotel, Adansonia Hotel, Tati River Lodge which can provide stopover accommodation for tourist traveling through the city. With these are a variety of guest houses like Francistown Guest House, also known as Emoyo Villa. Emoyo Villa is located in the serene neighbourhood of Tati River South Molapo, in Molapo Estates. It is, as many know it, the heart and soul of the city. There are several high class restaurants and eateries like Spur's, KFC, Barcelos, Debonairs Pizza, Milky Lane and many more. These provide a variety of cuisine for the different taste buds of the city's visitors as well as inhabitants. Clubs like Francistown Rugby Club host different weekend events that are eye-catching to any age group. There are also several night clubs in the city that cater for the city's night revelers like Lizard Entertainment.

Education

Francistown Institute of Health Sciences

Francistown Technical College

The Francistown Teacher Training College became one of the campuses of the University of Botswana in 1973.The Francistown College of Technical and Vocational Education was officially opened on 10 October 2008. The college was built in order to accommodate 1,500 learners on technical and vocational courses and teacher-training programmes. The city also hosts the Institute of Health Sciences, which is located near the Nyangabwe Referral Hospital. The institution, amongst others, offers courses in nursing and health care.

Transport and Infrastructure

Francistown Bus terminal

The city is a major transport hub. A railway line links the city with Harare in Zimbabwe via Bulawayo. The same line links Francistown with the capital city Gaborone and Lobatse in the south. Surfaced roads link the city to Ramokgwebana in the north, and to Kazungula as well as Kasane via Nata.
The city is served by Francistown Airport, a domestic airport with two runways located around 2 kilometres from the city. In 2003, it had a total passenger throughput of 29,223. Another airport, Francistown International Airport was opened on the 9th of September 2011 after being built at a tune of P596 million, officially opened by Minister of Transport, Frank Ramsden. With a terminal building designated for traffic forecast of up to 2025, it has a larger capacity and has replaced the old airport, which is now used by the Botswana Defence Force's Air Arm.

Malls and Plazas

Galo Shopping Center

Sports

There are several football clubs that are based in Francistown. These include Francistown Stadium is still under construction and will be complete soon. The stadium will be the largest in the northern part of Botswana with capacity of 27,000 and will be home ground to some of these teams. Other stadiums in the city include the Francistown City Council's Area S stadium.