Botswana Tourism has paid tribute to Kumakwane, a small village in the north west of Gaborone for being a good host of the annual Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race in the past three years. The popular social and sporting showpiece is being held for the last time in the village, but will leave a long lasting legacy.

Myra Sekgororoane, the Botswana Tourism Chief Executive Officer told journalist the race will move to other areas in 2014 with a number of proposals to be studied. “Kumakwane has acted as the race headquarters for the past three years with 2013 being the fourth and last year.

Plans to move the race have commenced and will be known to the media in due course,” Sekgororoane revealed. Previously, the race had a Designated Starting Point in Mmantshwabisi and new areas are being explored including the Kgalagadi and Central District area of Shoshong.

The race, which has been described by the Botswana Police as the  single largest event where large numbers of officers are deployed, has had economic benefits to Kumakwane and the general economy at large although there has been complaints of harm to the environment.

Sekgororoane noted that there have been increased sales in businesses in the vicinity of Kumakwane and surrounding areas during the weekend of the race.

“This trend spreads through to the retail sector including tenants of shopping malls in nearby towns, accommodation and transport sector, small independent general dealers, tuck shops and airtime vendors”. It is expected that the P7.5 million will be spent on 250, 000 litres of fuel during the race.

However, Botswana Tourism will not facilitate public campsites as that has been left to the private sector to deal with. “But we encourage people to use licensed campsites”. Some of these include Motse Lodge, Mokolodi Nature Reserve and Bakhurutshi cultural village.

The Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race also creates temporary employment opportunities in the lead up and during its course and afterwards to communities and some students from the tertiary institutions.

About 250 jobs were created in 2012 race for sanitation service during and after the race with those workers drawn from Kumakwane area and 41.9 % of the accommodation facilities interviewed in an Economic Survey said they recorded an increase in business during the weekend of the race.

The Kumakwane Village Development Committee has so far been able to raise P145, 000 in the past three years and the money was used to electrification and refurbishment of VDC houses which accommodate staff in the village.

“With such a big race obviously there is damage, but the people of Kumakwane have been patient and supportive of the race”.

Alan Reid of 4 Wheel Drive Club of Southern Africa said they will be new teams competing at this year’s race although the crowd magnet Grobbler has retired. “We think we are going to hit a record this year”. The event which  will be held 20- 23 June will attract about 230 bikers and quads competitors from Kenya, Swaziland, Cape Town and Namibia amongst other areas.