A free outdoor community gym, located near the low-income and high-density suburb of Block 7 in Francistown, Botswana's second-largest city, was officially unveiled to the public in May 2024. Many people from the surrounding communities are now utilizing the free training facility to keep fit.
GABORONE, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- At a free outdoor community gym located near the low-income and high-density suburb of Block 7 in Francistown, Botswana's second-largest city, Matshwenyego Raboijane is drenched in sweat while busy exercising.
Raboijane, 43, a semi-professional softball player from the Block 7 community, joins numerous fitness enthusiasts who frequent the gym situated at the base of the 430-km-long Gaborone-Francistown highway daily.
"This gym is helping us a lot," said Raboijane. As a softball player, he has a training schedule that requires him to visit a gym, and it is now easy because the fitness center is free.
The gym, constructed and fully equipped to the tune of 70,000 pula (about 5,600 U.S. dollars), was officially unveiled to the public in May 2024 after its construction started in October 2023. It has weight plates, jump ropes, squat racks, dumbbells, adjustable benches, and aerobic steps, which can be used to build muscles and keep oneself fit.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Godisang Radisigo, the Francistown City Council mayor, said the outdoor community gym serves as a wonder to the community of the southern African country's second-largest city and passersby. At least 5,000 people stand to benefit from this facility, he said.
Since many of the residents in the Block 7 community fall within the low-income earners, according to Radisigo, it is expensive for them to subscribe monthly to a private fitness center. On average, a monthly subscription fee ranges between 300 pula and 400 pula, an independent investigation conducted by your correspondent at private gyms in Francistown and Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, has established.
"With this gym, it is like we are killing two birds with one stone. We are likely to beat chronic diseases, as well as reduce driver fatigue and promote road safety," said Radisigo, adding that Botswana is planning to build more gym facilities to cater to the growing population facing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
A 2023 World Health Organization country disease outlook for Botswana indicated that the country has a high burden of NCDs, making up 46 percent of deaths in 2019. According to the report, the age-standardized mortality rate in the country across four major NCDs, namely cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer, and diabetes, was 934 per 100,000 in males and 713 in females in 2021.
A recent visit to the outdoor gym by a Xinhua correspondent has established that many individuals from the surrounding communities are now utilizing the free training facility to keep fit and prevent and manage NCDs.
Besides reducing incidents of NCDs, engaging in physical activities before embarking on a long journey helps motorists stay alert without succumbing to fatigue, said Radisigo.
Emphasizing the importance of taking regular breaks during extended drives, Radisigo believed that gym accessibility is ideal for road users seeking a convenient place to revitalize and refocus.
At least 400 people lose their lives and 1,800 more suffer serious and permanent injuries annually to road accidents, according to the data provided by the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund, a fund set by the Botswanan government to provide benefits to those involved in road crashes.
Zooming into the fatality statistics of the Gaborone-Francistown highway, the main highway of the country, at least 60 percent of people who lose their lives due to road accidents on an annual basis in Botswana happens on this highway, according to information obtained from the MVA Fund.
The Gaborone-Francistown highway is wide open and there are not many disturbances, which could be causing motorists to be involved in road carnage -- a development that points everything accidents to human error, mainly fatigue and lack of refocus.
Tshepo Maiketso, a motorist who was once involved in road carnage and is currently receiving financial and psychosocial support from the MVA Fund, told Xinhua that he was involved in a car accident that could have been avoided. "By incorporating exercise into their travel plans, motorists can reap a host of benefits that contribute to safer driving practices and overall well-being," said Maiketso.
Maiketso explained that exercise had been shown to improve blood circulation, which could help maintain a healthy level of alertness during long stretches of driving.
Tumelo Marumoagae is a physiotherapist at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital, the only referral health facility in the northern part of Botswana. He told Xinhua that regular physical activity helped alleviate muscle tension and stiffness, which could be particularly beneficial for drivers who spent extended periods in their vehicles.
"By providing an accessible and welcoming environment for exercise, the gym along the highway offers residents and motorists an opportunity to prioritize their health and well-being," Marumoagae said. ■
