Sombre Independence Holidays!

Monitor Editor | Monday October 5, 2020 17:05

These are the holidays that mark the country’s achievements ka pula! Well, this year, it was a different story, thanks to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The lack of festivities did not sit well with many Batswana. Many were seething with anger, as they could not travel to their respective home villages due to strict travel measures put in place by the Presidential COVID-19 Task Team in order to control the spread of the virus.

While the task team is doing a great work in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19 and keeping the public informed, there are still those who seem sceptical on how the war is being fought. There is no doubt that the task team deserves a pat on the back, as Botswana with its limited resources, is doing much better in terms of response compared to other countries.

While this good work cannot be ignored, there are those in the society who say, they have been observing that the rules and regulations put in place to control COVID-19 are not applied equally.While many had to miss the much awaited visit to check on family members who stay in the villages, others stayed behind with broken hearts. It was announced that those with prior travel bookings, could redeem such bookings as their permits got them wherever they had planned to go. This is the part that did not seem to go down well for many people with some feeling the wealthy were being given preferential treatment.  Social media was awash with selfies of many Batswana holidaying at places such as Kasane, and ironically, some were busy enjoying boat rides without wearing their masks. What many call inconsistencies in application of the protocols has led to some members of the society questioning a number of rules and regulations that are in place.In our previous commentary, we encouraged the public to stay put, and not go to their home villages and play a part in protecting themselves as well as the elderly. The plea was a genuine and serious one, as much as we are also going to plead with government to actually ensure that rules and regulations are equitably applied to all because no one is immune from coronavirus. Let us all do our part and act responsibly!Meanwhile, the rate at which women are dying at the hands of their intimate partners is alarming.  The numbers keep going up, and it seems all we are doing is expressing condolences to the families and fold our arms and wait for the next victim! Let’s all come together and fight this scourge.  Let’s have preachers from different denominations come together to pray against gender-based violence and intimate partner killings.