Suffer the citizens

Mmegi Editor | Tuesday June 2, 2015 12:37

In the first story, a young man with hopes of establishing a seed-producing factory embarked on a hunger strike; then walked 420 kilometres from Francistown to the Office of the President in Gaborone protesting what he sees as unfair rejection of his proposals by CEDA.

In the other one, a young Motswana in Canada has started an online petition to force the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources to resolve water issues in Rakops where villagers have long complained of smelly and unhygienic supplies.

Both these pieces are illustrative of the helplessness many Batswana find themselves in, when the transmission of the goodwill they have sown in via taxes is interrupted by intransigent public service providers.

The merits of the young farmer’s application aside, it has become the norm that Batswana are made to feel as though they have to beg government departments and state owned entities for the attention that should rightfully be their birthright.

Every Motswana has the right to a fair audience with a public service representative and have his or her needs assessed and responded to. Both stories are also brilliantly demonstrative of the evolution of rights in the country. Access to basic rights such as water has evolved to access to opportunities and upliftment of one’s living standards.

 

BFA, get your house in order!

For the past few months, the crescendo of increasingly embarrassing public spectacles at the Botswana Football Association has become impossible to ignore. In the last ten days, the Under-23 coach was fired under dramatically vulgar circumstances, the former CEO has controversially hit back on pornography while the elite league’s head has thrown in the towel. The future of the premier league debutant, Sankoyo Bush Bucks, lies in uncertainty after the team was docked 29 points – a historic penalty – which were then returned somewhat.

In the meantime, the national football team, the Zebras, were underwhelming in Moruleng, being knocked out of the COSAFA Cup semi finals, before losing the third/fourth place playoff to Madagascar; a football lightweight.

The Under-23, meanwhile, were also booted out of the Olympic qualifiers by Zambia, to cap a sour week for the nation’s most beloved sport. Authorities need to act quickly to stop the rot within football.

At present, it appears the battle within the sport involves personality-clashes, resource grabbing, leadership-wrangles and egos. Where are the players and the fans in all this?

Today’s thought

“When elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers”

 

 - African saying