Happy Independence celebrations, but

The past two days Batswana all over the country paused to commemorate our country’s independence day. The country’s 48th independence anniversary is a historic milestone and it was no surprise that from all corners of the country, Batswana gathered at Kgotlas to reflect on the journey the country has travelled since 1966 when it gained independence from Britain.

Perhaps President Ian Khama said it well in his speech that the country has transformed tremendously from Gross Domestic Product of US$84, to US$ 7,700 today. Khama noted that, while in 1966 there was only six kilometres of paved roads in the entire country, currently over 6,400 kilometres of roads have been paved.  The president further added, “Whereas less than 100 among us then had the opportunity to progress beyond secondary school, today tens of thousands have earned tertiary degrees, while there were a half dozen secondary schools at independence, today the figure is just below 300”.

In addition to these developments, international observers have lauded Botswana as the shining example of democracy. This is so because since the country gained independence it has adhered to the basic principles of democracy. Not to be forgotten, the country has held peaceful multi-party elections every five years. In a few weeks the nation will be holding to the general elections.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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