All Quotes

"We’ll fight like it’s our last game."

"I never felt that there were people who were going to fight for me."

"Having them gives me a sense of freedom, knowing that they are going to tell people to fight for what I have been craving for, and asking for. Things that I have not been able to say out loud as an individual player."

"Growing up as a young girl, it seemed impossible to do things that men do."

"Soccer is a huge sport and all the boys and girls play that. But in our culture it seems like it is only for men. My family and friends, everybody would be like You have to be in the kitchen."

"I never felt that’s what I was born to do. I could do more than that, so that is something that I always wanted to change."

"Soccer is not equal for men and women."

"Every single player, be it a man or a woman, does the same job. We put in the same amount of time, the same amount of work. They give everything they got on the field, and they inspire on and off the field. It’s clear that they have to be paid or treated in the same way."

"But in this world right now, it’s different. Men get everything they want, women get less. If we ask for more, it looks as if we ask for too much."

"It will be fair if women are paid the same, treated the same, respected the same and given the same platform."

"If you put soccer on TV, whether it is a men’s or women’s game, everybody is going to watch it. Young boys, young girls, they are going to watch it. So it has to be equal."

"I remember the days when they said We cannot break that cycle. I now feel like we can break that cycle. Playing soccer isn’t only for men, it is for all young players, boys and girls. I’m glad that things are now changing."

"When I was young, there were good players in Africa, but we didn’t see them on TV."

"I had no player to look up to, until I saw the 2011 Women’s World Cup. I saw Alex Morgan, who became my role model and inspiration, not just on the field, but also outside the field: believe in yourself and your ability even if other people don’t believe in that."

"Visibility matters because for me being able to share my story is one of the ways that we can solve problems."

"I want my story to make that change and make people see that if they put the time into it, we will be able to change players’ lives and have them to face life in different ways then I went through."

"I felt like this is where I belong. This is where I wanna be for so long and watching them play the way they played, witnessing that, I was like no, this is where I wanna be."

"Every day I wake up and it feels like I’m still dreaming."

"No matter how [much] people would say ‘you’re a good player, you’re a great player,’ you always wanted that validation for yourself, feeling like I actually did it."

"Where I grew up, when you’re a kid, everybody, especially the older people when they see you play, they call on you based on the player that they think best fits your style. When I was like, eight or nine years old, Kaka was my role model. I always loved watching him play for AC Milan, and Brazil. So, one day I was playing with the boys and I needed a name to play. There was this old man who was sitting right next to the field and he was like, ‘Oh, you’re like Kaka from Brazil.’ Pretty much from then on I was Jen Kaka."

"I knew at the age of thirteen that I wanted to be a professional player. Now growing up in my country, soccer is there but it’s not as organized as a club or, like they would do here (in the US). I don’t know, it’s fun, but also it’s not as competitive as playing club."

"There are still changes that need to be made to help women’s soccer in Ghana. And I hope one day I can help to make that change, help push it to be more professional, you know, it’s difficult to be seen (by scouts and agents) which makes it hard for them (women’s players) to get out."

"It was hard for me to make friends, and my English wasn’t that good."

"It was the craziest feeling I’ve ever felt. I wanted to be on the field and I had these little tears, you know, looking at the crowd, the way game was played. And I said, this is where I belong. That’s the words that came out of my mouth. This is where I belong."

"Sometimes I keep reminding myself like, How did this happen? How did this happen? You know, but I feel like it’s hard work and if you believe in it, and you have the right people around you to push you to work harder. For me, people see where I am now. But it’s not easy, this journey."

"We cannot interfere on his personal life. The leadership issue will only be addressed at the 2010 congress. We cannot afford to rock the boat more than it already has."

"This is very unfortunate. It would seem like everything in the BNF is now centered on so called Moupo issues. We have lost the direction of the party. We have to be very careful. I am beginning to suspect that some of our members are actually sponsored by BDP to create internal problems ahead of the elections."

"Let’s focus on 2009 and leave Moupo alone."

"The absence of a sewerage system has stopped developments such as the construction of Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) houses."

"BHC was allocated a plot in Molepolole but has not developed it because of lack of the sewerage system."

"It is not good for a big village like Molepolole to lack sewerage system."

"It is not clear how government will create jobs for many young people who are affected by unemployment and have resorted to working for Ipelegeng."

"They are busy recruiting and parading the youth from Molepolole and go around misleading people that I am among those joining the BDP. I am not going anywhere."

"The Vice President is busy recruiting while programmes that he should be looking after are failing the nation. He should just focus his energy and time on those programmes he has been mandated to drive."

"We are working around the clock to ensure that everything is in place so that when we take over power from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, we ensure proper governance for this country."

"Ministers are always reluctant to officiate at our events but with Morwaeng there is always a Minister officiating at his donation ceremonies and as such ensuring that BTV and Daily News cover his events."

"The event was supposed to be addressed by Assistant Minister of Basic Education Thato Kwerepe but instead, we just saw Assistant Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture Philip Makgalemele being ushered in as the guest speaker."

"I had told the parents to be wary of donations that come with political strings attached and Makgalemele responded that unlike Morwaeng who is willing to give to the community, I am against it."

"Tsogwane attacked us mainly that he said when we respond to SONA we did not applaud the government but rather criticize and oppose the SONA. Yes we should not agree with anything that is presented to commend but it is our role as legislators both in opposition and BDP to further debate so he (Tsogwane) and his BDP must hold on their frustrations."

"You should be alert of the eventuality. The Agriculture Minister should prepare in time the disaster likely to befall the farmers and make pesticides available."

"We will come out empty handed."

"To indeed show that we have done fairly well is that as the ministry we have eradicated the notion of waiting lists in some parts of the country where people can acquire their plots in a short period of time compared to the past where there were waiting lists on all areas in the country before."

"We currently have 60, 000 plots which are being surveyed and they could have long be done by now as we could have allocated close to 110,000 plots had we had resources internally but we had had to outsource surveyors which resulted in delays."

"We are concerned by high number of people on the waiting lists and we are doing all our best to expedite plots allocation. However, we need resources and we don’t have them. We need to first buy land, service it and allocate it. We are committed to fast track allocation."

"There is a lot in terms of budget that is required for the ministry to allocate land efficiently. I understand the frustrations of Batswana who don’t own a single plot. However, we are also worried by some people who still apply for land while they already own a plot."

"Land boards normally can take 2-5 years to repossess the land if not developed. But as a caring government sometimes we don’t want to be harsh by taking back land. Land is very emotional, it can cause instability if it is not handled well. We urge owners to develop their land."

"I believe every land board has its strengths."

"You need to look at each other’s strengths and benchmark from what is stronger in particular ones."

"People should familiarise themselves with the Land Act (in order) to avoid legal issues."

"The manual nature of the Deeds records cannot readily give me total size of land owned by any entity, including Tati Company. Therefore, I do not have statistics to either confirm or deny that Tati Company owns more land than any other native Motswana."