Dressed to impress, with the dance moves to match, Pantsulas took over the small Tswapong village of Ramokgonami last Saturday, gathering en masse for their Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Although fun was at the heart of the get-together, culminating with a music festival in the evening, there was a serious side to proceedings, with the Pantsulas walking the streets to preach messages of peace and anti-drugs.
“I guess everyone heard that CAT was listed recently under the illicit drugs in Botswana. I urge all of you here to stay away from it and other illegal substances like dagga, cocaine just to mention a few,” warned Botswana Pantsula Association (BPA) President, Fejus Modise.
The BPA head stressed the association prides itself on standing against social ills, with drug-taking, defilement, drunkenness, knife-crime and gender-based violence at the top of the list.
Vowing to ‘fight tooth and nail’ to tackle these issues which have become so prevalent in Botswana today, Modise advised parents to keep a close eye on their children.
“Search their bags for drug when they come home from school. Touch and smell those chalk pieces they come with to confirm if indeed it’s chalk. Together we can. Our children’s futures are in our hands as their parents and leaders. CAT is a very dangerous drug that needs people united to fight it,” he highlighted.
Further urging BPA’s members to shun knifes, in line with the group’s slogan, ‘Donty ka Okapi’, Modise said, “No one is supposed to walk with a knife in their pockets when going to a drinking spree because when they fight, they will jump to use it and end up causing death.”
Thanking the association for gracing his village and spreading their noble agenda, Ramokgonami police boss, Sergeant Seriti revealed defilement was a growing concern in the area.
“So far, we have four children under the age of 18 who are pregnant. Ramokgonami is under Martin Drift Police Station with five other villages and it is the one that leads in terms of crime.
“Rape, murder, indecent assault and the use of knives is rife in the village. We hope the pantsula messages will benefit us a lot,” said Seriti noting some of the crimes are committed due to peer pressure, especially the use of drugs and substance abuse.
