Mixed views on SONA in Francistown
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Friday November 14, 2025 11:32
In an interview, Francistown Mayor, Gaone Majere hailed the SONA as a promising step toward better schools, improved health services, and job creation. On the contrary, the city 'sleader of opposition, Thabo Nyambe, warned that the speech fell short of concrete action on long-standing promises, setting the stage for an intense local reaction.
The Francistown Mayor this was the first SONA presented by the president after a year in office, noting that the address was mainly focused on the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) manifesto.
Majere praised the president’s initiative to refurbish schools, a move he believes will go a long way towards improving classroom conditions in the city. He pointed out that many school facilities, including classrooms, are currently in a dilapidated state, so the SONA seeks to address such challenges.
“If the conditions of the schools are improved, they will enhance and promote a conducive learning environment for learners, teachers, and non-teaching staff,” he said. He also highlighted several other points from the SONA, including the restructuring of the Central Medical Stores, which he said would improve access to medication in local health facilities.
Majere described the inclusion of indigenous languages on the state broadcaster as a welcome development. He praised the government for the permanent employment of the special constables.
He also thanked the government for the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) debt-amnesty programme, which allowed the Francistown residents, including himself, to settle their WUC debts at a reasonable cost. Francistown Mayor spoke about the upcoming Matsiloje Solar project, which he said will help address the unemployment crisis in the area. “The reopened Tataki mine is also expected to generate further job opportunities for the city and surrounding areas, hence it would address the unemployment crisis,” he continued. He also highlighted that the allocation of a P200 million alcohol levy to the creative industry was a significant increase from the previous allocation of about P2 million.
Elaborating his contribution, Nyambe expressed disappointment that President Boko addressed the SONA without ha fulfilling previous promises. Nyambe argued that the President’s speech shows that the new government is not different from the previous Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) administration, which he said relied on decorative speeches without implementation.
He called for the implementation of promised interventions, including a P4,000 minimum wage, a P2,500 tertiary student allowance, and a P300 newborn allowance. “All the people need is implementation, not just more speeches,” he said.
Nyambe also criticised government for the ongoing health crisis, which he says makes country rely on donations, and questioned the purchase of VIP cars for the President and other leaders. Nyambe suggested that the funds for the purchase could have been used to address the shortage of medicine in local health facilities.
While unhappy with the lack of implementation, Nyambe acknowledged the P200 million alcohol levy fund allocation to the creative sector, noting that the sector is full of depressed people because things are economically bad for them.