Embrace the new normal

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is currently leading the process to draft the 2018-2019 budget, through consultations with line ministries, economic stakeholders, legislators and the general public.

By mid-December, some shape or form of the bulky budget estimates should have been produced and according to the ministry’s own forecast, a significant deficit is anticipated.

A new normal is unavoidable for the country, simply because the drivers of revenue and growth in decades past, are ebbing away, without ready, robust replacements. At a microcosmic level, one example of this is the recent end of life of Letlhakane Mine, which originally opened in 1975. Debswana’s ‘replacement’ for Letlhakane is a tailings treatment plant, which will produce 800,000 carats annually for 20 years, saving jobs and supporting the economy, for a period.

Editor's Comment
Closure as pain lingers

March 28 will go down as a day that Batswana will never forget because of the accident that occurred near Mmamatlakala in Limpopo, South Africa. The tragedy affected not only the grieving families but the nation at large. Batswana throughout the process stood behind the grieving families and the governments of Botswana and South Africa need much more than a pat on the back.Last Saturday was a day when family members said their last goodbyes to...

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