COVID-19 measures hamstring F/town economy
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday March 14, 2022 06:00
The new border COVID-19 guidelines bar entry of visitors who have not fully vaccinated and taken booster shots at all of Botswana’s ports of entry.
The move have affected multitudes of Zimbabwean cross border traders and customers who flock in and out of Francistown on a daily basis due to the city’s proximity to Zimbabwe.
The controversial move has also affected local cross-border truckers who transport freight to Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in the city.
It therefore came as no surprise that a Motswana woman, Dikeledi Dingake, dragged the government to court after she was denied entry at the border for failure to produce vaccination proof or intent to vaccinate. The government lost the case with costs. “The government changed the previous existing border vaccine regulations after we got an interim order on February 24 and on February 25 changed the regulations. This meant that there was no longer a live issue before court and we got costs following our urgent application,” the applicant’s attorney, Martin Dingake told Mmegi on Thursday.
The economy of Francistown-a city situated some 430km north east of the capital city, Gaborone-was already reeling from the effects of the closure of mines in its vicinity a few years back before the advent of the coronavirus.
The closed mines were amongst the lifeblood of Francistown because they created employment opportunities for many Batswana who mainly resided in rented homes in the city and neighbouring villages.
A cross-border trucker who plies the Botswana-Zambia route, Mothusi Malanga, and Tshireletso Madibe, who takes freight to South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, expressed the same sentiments following the implementation of border vaccine protocols. The duo cried that the money needed for unvaccinated people who are required to produce a 72-hour negative PCR COVID19 test at the ports of entry at their own cost and also to quarantine at their own cost is very high.
The truckers reasoned that it is a well-known fact that the coronavirus has crippled all sectors of the economy literally leaving people with no sources of income. This, the truckers added, is on top of new taxes that the government recently implemented in the aftermath of the advent of COVID-19.
Wang Yi, chairperson of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Francistown, echoed the truckers’ sentiments. Most of the customers who frequent Chinese businesses in Francistown and neighbouring villages are arguably from Zimbabwe.
This has been the trend since the economy of Zimbabwe was brought to its knees under the Robert Mugabe regime.
“We have seen a sharp decline in the inflow of foreign customers to Francistown since the pandemic. We have noticed an increase in the inflow of foreign customers since the recent introduction of vaccine permits but it is only a small percentage as compared to pre-pandemic levels. The sales level has not increased significantly since the new policy only started. Our Chamber of Commerce fully understands the government's decision during the pandemic. It is also hoped that while addressing public health concerns, the restrictions will be gradually relaxed to create convenient conditions for economic recovery,” said Wang about the vaccine border restrictions.
The Chinese businesses in Francistown employ thousands of locals and in the past, Wang told Xinhua that around 18,000 Batswana were hired by the Chinese-owned businesses in different sectors.
The effects of the new border vaccine rules have cut across many economic streams. Recently, Lily Rakorong, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB), an organisation that promotes, encourages and polices excellence in hospitality and tourism in Botswana, also lamented about the new vaccine border regulations. Rakorong told Mmegi’ sister publication The Monitor that a recent survey amongst the organisations’ different members found out that between February 14 when the new rules were introduced, and February 22, 2022, bookings worth P109 million were cancelled in Botswana.