Arguably one the oldest local football clubs, Masitaoka fondly known as Majatlhaga by its legion of fans is a team that originates from the biggest village in the country, Molepolole.

The club was named after Mophato wa Masitaoka, an influential social clan in the history of the Bakwena tribe during the reign of the charismatic ruler Kgosi Sechele II.

In an interview, the Communications Manager of the team Mr Godfrey Ratlhaga reveals that Bakwena elders saw it fit to thank the regiment and honoured it by naming the team after them.

Top flight football has been evading this team for over five decades since its formation in 1968 and it was only this year that they managed to gain automatic promotion to the elite league thanks to their positive attitude and determination.

Mr Ratlhaga points out that records shows that the team first came into being in 1962 by then group of youth being Bakwena royals, Regent Kgosi Gaobotswe Golwelwang, Kgosi Moses Sentibile Sechele and Kgosi Keineetse Sebele among others and was properly registered in 1968.

He notes that Masitaoka promotion was long overdue after they endured near misses in the past, some of which was when they could only manage to make numbers at the play offs.

It has been a long and bumpy road for the Molepolole outfit because in 2005, when their diehard fans were positive that they were headed in the right direction, the team was again relegated to the lower division from First Division after having languished there for at least a decade.

With the assistance of their sponsor Tswana Gas, they finally made it back into the Debswana First Division-South after acquiring the status of the then obsolete Black Peril.

Having fought a gallant fight to reward their diehard fans through gaining an automatic promotion, the club mouth piece says they carry with them the hopes and vision of thousands of Bakwena of Molepolole and adjacent villages.

Mr Ratlhaga says that the promotion of their club is poised to change the dynamics of the beautiful game because as the oldest club in the country, they are going to first re-claim their followers, who had in the past aligned themselves with bigger premier league teams.

He boasts that though the team was formed in Molepolole, their fan base covers the whole country, adding that as lockdown restriction eases, they will tour the district before spreading their wings country wide registering members and opening new branches.

“It must be noted that having derived their name from an influential social clan of the Bakwena tribe, Paramount Chief Kgosi Kgari III and his wife are the number one supporters of Majatlhaga and they always help where they can whenever there is a need,” Mr Ratlhaga adds.

Apart from having gained a spot in the elusive elite league, the club has only won the national 2nd division in 1994, after that they experienced a string of poor performances, which saw them tiptoeing between first and second divisions.

“It was in 2016 that the decision was taken to commercialize the team and the process is going in the right direction thus far.” He says.

Mr Ratlhaga divulges that as they are getting ready for the elite league, the club is busy looking for strategic partners both on and off the field, saying with the right experience and positive attitude, they will be able to stay put in the league.

He says the club was grateful for the support they have been getting from their supporters throughout the country, saying they will do all they can to make them happy.

Masitaoka managed to gain promotion to the elite league with some players who have Premiership experience in the likes of Sekhana ‘Nandos’ Koko, Topo Piet, Monageng ‘Mnighe’ Thaele and Thabiso Mabachi.

The team, which will be playing its home games in Molepolole Sports Complex, will be using blue colours when they are hosting, while their away kit will be white and the alternative kit being yellow, which also resembles the colours of their sponsors, Tswana Gas.