The Society of Malawians in Botswana (SOMABO) has said all is set for the celebrations of the country’s 61st independence slated for this Saturday.
In an interview with The Atlas, SOMABO president Gabriel Guta said the celebrations, slated for Park 27, will include music, traditional food, and music, among others.
“Though we are here in Botswana, we are still Malawians. We identify ourselves as such, so we always celebrate our independence. We can’t let July 6 pass by because it is a very significant day for all Malawians, regardless of where we are. We are proud to be Malawians in a foreign country,” said Guta.
Guta said that on the day, the executive members of the society will also answer questions that people might have pertaining to their stay while in Botswana, passport and immigration issues; membership and benefits of being a SOMABO member; and the relationship/cooperation between the society and all other groups that Malawians have formed as support measures.
SOMABO, he said, is the bridge between the Malawian government and the Botswana government.
“Malawians started trekking to Botswana in the early 1980s through government initiatives. Botswana was lacking technical and industrial expertise like engineers, plumbers, bricklayers, and mechanics. So Malawians came to fill that gap.
“Since then, a lot of Malawians have been coming to Botswana for greener pastures. The formation of SOMABO was to coordinate Malawians living here because we don’t have a Malawian embassy; we rely on our embassy in South Africa.
“Among other things, we handle immigration, labor, socio-economic problems amongst our members, apart from bringing them together to celebrate, as we are doing this weekend. When we have a predicament such as funerals, we come together. We assist, like on repatriation if needed and resources allow. We support our members who have been arrested for lack of documentation based on our mutual agreement with the Botswana immigration department, to have them released from holding cells and sent back home.
“The embassy in South Africa only deals with passports, certification of documents like degrees obtained and accredited by Malawian institutions,” said Guta.
However, he lamented the influx of Malawians who are illegally entering Botswana.
“A lot of Malawians, both from home and South Africa, are illegally entering Botswana through tricksters calling themselves agents. They are charged K250,000 with a promise that they have found a job, but when they reach here, they are dumped.
“It’s a call to all Malawians to ignore such people. These cases are rising day by day,” he said.
