Kutlo Motseta
9th February 2025
He was sitting under a tree shade when the asked to fill in for a missing relay runner and stunned the school coach with his performance. That fateful afternoon, the seeds were sown that would provide shelter for numerous athletes that he would guide to the global stage and contribute to Botswana’s sprinting revolution and global impact.
“I always tell people that my career started under a tree … we were at Molefe secondary school we were watching the football and athletics teams. That day the athletics team was doing the relay practice and they were short of one person and they came to us, we were sitting under a tree said and they said ‘who could help? … I was put up against the fastest guy io the school it happened that we took the button at the same time and I was able to beat him,” said Justice Dipeba, who has revolutionized the performance of local athletes.
“The teacher started following me around ‘hey man do want to do athletics’ it took him the whole term of following me around eventually I gave in,” Dipeba observed.
“He was really nice to me, he was trying to pull me into the running, he would bring me some fruits, he would take me to places in his car when we were training outside the school campus,” he said.
Dipeba went on to win the national school championships and represent Botswana at every level, becoming an Olympian at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where he ran the 200m and 400m relay. He also represented the country at the Southern African championships, African Championships, Commonwealth Championships and world championships before retiring in 2003.
He was awarded a university sports scholarship to study in United States of America (USA), where he was guided by his mentor and coach Adam Neville, who had a major impact on his coaching career.
“The best thing is that we would get in contact or work with one of the best coaches in the USA or the even in the world, he was the US head coach at Barcelona 1992 Olympics … his name was Mel Rosey. Working with him really inspired me … [he was] coach to Kirani James (three time 400m Olympic medalist),” he said.
He returned to Botswana in 2002 and started coaching after completing a coaching course through the World Athletics organization, which recommended him for further World Athletics coaching international courses.
He coached young athletes such as Thapelo Ketlogetswe and Pako Seribe. Seribe went on to win a silver medal at the 2012 African junior championships and was a finalist in the same year at World Junior Championships in Canada.
I asked almost rhetorically – How did a former short sprinter find enjoyment in coaching the longer sprints. Dipeba explains, “I don’t know why I didn’t do it as a coach [100m], I fancied more the 400. Maybe because I worked with Mel Rose, he was more on that area and my coach …. Adam Neville, he was an amazing strength and conditioning coach he came from a military background of some sort”.
Expressing his passion for the coaching the event, “For an athlete … at that level, it shows the resilience it shows the commitment, shows the hard work, shows the discipline because the work after that event is not a joke. So I enjoyed it, not the torture but seeing the athletes going through walls, pushing themselves going to that level.”
His coaching relationship with the then 27-year-old Makwala, began when he was Vice-President Technical of Botswana Athletics Association in 2012. He started communicating more with the then Jamaican based athlete. Isaak Makwala decided to come back home and join Dipeba.
Within two years Makwala’s performance skyrocketed and he became one of most recognizable figures in world athletics. He won the prestigious Diamond league finals in 2017, became the African and Commonwealth Champion; and the second person to join the sub 19 and 44 second club for the 200m and 400m respectively. He finished off 2017 as the world’s fastest 200m runner, though it is his second event. These are only some of his achievements to date.
Dipeba attributes Makwala’s history making performances to his mindset change, which he focused on to get the best out of him after he joined camp. Makwala who is witty and charismatic on the field, was also known to speak without a filter in training, which sometimes rubbed his peers the wrong way. This left Dipeba wondering as a coaching novice, how he was going to deal with the ‘problem child’, who had already been under guidance of some of the best coaches in the world. Dipeba communicated the need to address this as it is equally important for success on the track.
“I told him that I would love to work with you, but there a few things we have to change”, he said. Makwala addressed that, but Dipeba says he was amazed with the level of his discipline.
“Makwala has never disrespected me …. If I say we are training at 3’0’ clock he will be there at half past 2. That’s how disciplined he is. Even if I say we are training at 6 ‘0’ clock in the morning, I won’t be there in the afternoon he will be there at 5:30. So that’s how disciplined he is. I can’t remember a day he missed a session without telling me.”
“Our relationship is amazing over the 12 years we were training together, he has under 45 seconds every year, he has broken the African record twice, it’s been amazing, he has been a special athlete, a lot people had given up on him and he turned the table around. … nowadays whenever you talk about the 400m where ever you are not only in Botswana but in Africa in world they know who is Isaak Makwala”, he added.
Dipeba is based at the University of Botswana Athletics Club and doubles up as a national team coach.
In addition to Makwaala he has led several other athletes who went on to excel internationally and medaled at the 2024 Paris Olympics, 2017 Bahamas world relay championships, Commonwealth championships and the African Championships; and also coached them to qualify for the continental cup and the prestigious Diamond League finals. He is currently coaching Christie Botlogetswe, Boitumelo Masilo, Zibane Ngozi, Baboloki Thebe and Montie Rante.
Dipeba believes that Botswana can became a factor in international athletics, because of the inspiring performances of earlier athletes and the empowerment of coaches.
“You can see what Amantle got to do, what Isaak got to do and Batswana were inspired and they believe that they could do it. If Amantle can do it, if Isaak can do it, if California (Molefe) can … it’s just getting those athletes to do it …. the crowd came behind them and they were able to achieve, they know it’s doable … also coaching, we saw coaches being empowered …. setting up a proper program that helped in terms of getting our athletes to perform”.
In terms of what Botswana need to achieve more in athletics he is clear. ,
“The one problem is facilities, we need facilities, we are still fighting for facilities with the sports [council] and [yet if we are the] ones exceling in sports in the country … and performed at the highest level … [look at the] the recent gold medal at the Paris Olympics and silver medals in the 4X4, [we have long shown] that we are the sport to be looked at,” said Dipeba.
He said, “[We need] some finances, even if it is not a fully-fledged track but if we have and six lanes have a place where other athletes can throw and we have a gym, we will be excited we will be happy … that’s all we need, maybe in Gaborone and the other one in Maun … just renovate them a little bit. Don’t let them fall apart because when they do fall apart … now we are trying to renovate them … it costs a lot of money. So the maintenance of those facilities is very, very important, it will save a lot of money it will save a lot of costs.”
