Career
Batswadi received Springbok Colours in 1977 after the national athletics federation, the South African Amateur Athletics Association, deracialised its constitution to allow blacks and whites to compete against each other. He was born at Dithakong, near Vryburg in the Northern Cape Province, and retired from athletics competition in 1986. His stadium record for the 10 000 metres of 28:46.8 at the Germiston Stadium in Ekhuruleni, set at the South African Athletics Championships in 1978, still stands.
The Germiston Stadium is located at an altitude of 1600 metres above sea-level and the performance is thus noteworthy.
His attempt to run a marathon at the 1981 Sun City marathon was unsuccessful and he withdrew at 15 km. His personal best time for the 5000m was 13:35 in 1978 and his 10 000m best was 28:00.72 set in Portuguese Elizabeth in April 1980.
After many years in seclusion in Dithakong, Batswadi was located there in good health by another South African athletics great, also bearing the Christian name, Matthews, Matthews Temane in December 2009.
