Botswana NGOs come of age

Lebogang Baingapi | Tuesday May 24, 2016 11:14

Compared to their South African counterparts, local NGOs are arguably not vocal enough and hardly perform their mandate to meet the public expectation.

In South Africa, there are many NGOs that cater for the needs of different people. The NGOs on many occasions drag the government before courts of law if they feel that the state has trampled upon the rights of the people they represent.

In the same vein, the South African NGOs not only keep government in check, but also take individuals to court for statements they may have made at different platforms (social media and others) that they feel are not in the public’s interest.  Political and social commentator, Anthony Morima said NGOs differ according to their spheres of advocacy and interest groups.

Citing examples, Morima said Childline would advocate for the rights of children while Emang Basadi would fight for the rights of the girl child and women. Morima said for NGOs to effectively carry out their mandate they should not act like opposition parties because that alone would poison their relationship with government.

Morima said that because NGOs have different mandates, they should concentrate on their various designations in order to enjoy a healthy working relationship with the state.

“NGOs should lobby government to pass laws that better advance their mandates for the betterment of people’s lives.  If the current government feels that a certain NGO is advancing the interests of a certain political party, surely that NGO’s relationship with government would not be cordial.  The state would view the NGO as a political party that is masquerading as an NGO,” said Morima.

Morima added that it is suicidal for NGOs to affiliate to political parties because even if they advocate for something that may improve the lives of the majority, some people would see them as political movements hence in the process, they risk losing credibility before the eyes of the public.

He said that although the recent Sebina firestorm may have fuelled some NGOs that were dormant to find their voice, he traces their active participation in national affairs from the 2011 public sector union mother-of-all-strikes that paralysed the operations of many state institutions. “In my view I think it would be improper for me not to name NGOs that have been performing well for a long time.  Some NGOs also became resurgent after the death of former leader of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), Gomolemo Motswaledi,” said Morima.

The lawyer-cum-social activist stated that the reasons some NGOs may not be performing their mandate effectively is because they mostly depend on government for funding, which makes it difficult for them to criticise government on some issues of national importance.

It would be difficult and impossible, Morima said, for NGOs that are funded by government to express dissatisfaction with the state on the position adopted by government on the new alcohol regulations for instance that some say have killed the entertainment industry, no matter how reasonable their position may be.

Morima explained that one of the major reasons that some NGOs are not carrying out their mandate effectively is because they have shifted from their primary mandate to pursuing a new mandate because of money.

Said Morima: “Some NGOs that were not registered as organisations that were teaching people about AIDS have switched their roles and are now anti-AIDS organisations.  This is manly caused by the fact that they know that a lot of donors throughout the world are sponsoring HIV/AIDS organisations hence their change of roles”.

He said the other contributing factor that led to the death of some NGOs is lack of funding from international donors that was precipitated by the global economic downturn.

Moreover, Morima said, some NGOs have been led by their founders since they were formed, which makes it difficult for them to effectively survive in the event that such leaders resign or die. He advised NGOs to have good succession plans in order to prepare for any eventuality.

He gave an emphatic ‘yes’ when asked if the social media played any role in the resuscitation of NGOs that were dormant.

“Social media has made communication become very easy.  The Law Society of Botswana and even the conventional media (newspapers) should also be credited for the resuscitation of some NGOs. The role of these organisations should not be underestimated,” said Morima.

The commentator said in Botswana NGOs work under a very conducive environment unlike in other countries where they are stifled and every form of dissent is brutally repressed by the powers that be of those countries.

He, however, said he was concerned when government did not want to register Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO), which he said in his view was going to be a blot in the country’s democracy.

He said the government should treat NGOs as partners in development of the country and not as opponents.