Masisi Promises Milk And Honey
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday April 29, 2019 14:04
Launching the manifesto, President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the BDP presents itself to democrats and electorates, as it brings new changes that will grow the economy and create the much-needed jobs for Batswana. Masisi said it was critical to review the land tenure system.
“Botswana has three categories of land tenure namely; tribal land, state land, and freehold land.
The majority of Batswana reside on tribal land with rights over this land limited only to usage rights. The current land tenure system negatively affects access and security for those with customary land rights and thus acts as a disincentive for land development,” said Masisi.
“Furthermore, tribal land, which could not be used as collateral or security for any commercial or mortgage loan in the past is going to change so that Batswana can access development finance from the country’s banking system.”
He said they must implement development in a manner that is guided by proper spatial planning. The first citizen said his party would develop new planning regions where suitable development and industries would be directed.
“Settlement clusters will be developed with this in mind so that we achieve growth points and centres of excellence based on comparative advantages of such regions. For example, Tsabong cluster may be a centre of excellence in small stock production and the entire value chain that arises out of this industry,” he said.
“The BDP will facilitate the fast-tracking of change of land use so that Batswana can use land for productive activities that will improve their livelihood.”
Masisi added that their manifesto is a rallying clarion call to Batswana to free their energies to make products that will find favour in both the local and international markets.
“It is a call to those fishermen who fish in the waters of the Okavango Delta and the Chobe river to consider fish farming as an industry that will yield sustainable jobs; it is a call to traditional knowledge holders to consider biomedicine as an industry to which they can contribute their knowledge for the production of medicines to cure diseases that afflict us and the world, it is a call to the likes of Kgetsi Ya Tsie in the beautiful Tswapong Hills to seek partnership with the private sector to farm and produce morula-based cosmetics for the domestic and world markets,” he said.
The President also stated they would immediately evaluate and confirm the economic value of mineral assets of the BCL Mine to bring hope to Batswana and provide the necessary information to potential investors. He said this would be succeeded by proper and speedy disposal of these assets by identifying a buyer or investor for the mine.
Still at the Manifesto launch, Vice President, Slumber Tsogwane launched Masisi as the face of the BDP campaign.
A campaign song directed by Masisi was also launched before each of the 57 constituencies, which were allocated campaign vehicles.