Let us start a new era

Mmegi Editor | Tuesday October 4, 2016 11:04

It was time to reflect on the journey we have travelled since independence, as well as to craft the way forward.

The enthusiasm that preceded the 50th anniversary Day activities was so high that when September 30 finally came, it was epic, resultant of which was a success of great proportions.

The cleaning and painting of our roads; the raising of national flags in every corner of the streets of the cities, towns, villages, cattle posts and just about every corner of the country, as well as the vigour with which we bought BOT50 T-shirts from street vendors, just showed how much Batswana valued the jubilee.

If we could divert this energy and apply it in our public institutions we would be an advanced economy in the next 24 months. The energy will help eradicate long queues in banking halls, long queues in government hospitals and clinics, and the energy would help fight laziness in service delivery in general.

With so much energy that seemed to possess many of us in relation to BOT50 we would eradicate long waiting lists in Land Board offices across the country, some of which date back to the 90s.

Many of us went back to work yesterday and some of us struggling with one form of a hangover or another.

Just as we get back to normality, we urge the authorities to intensify service delivery like they did with preparations for BOT50.

Nonetheless, it would be naïve not to thank everybody who played a role in ensuring that the BOT50 festivities were safe on our highways and streets.

The police recorded few accidents.  Fatal road accidents have recently caused us sleepless nights, especially along the A1 highway, which was like a death trap in the last four months. Most of the accidents were a result of speeding, which accounts for almost half of serious accidents annually across the country.

The police presence along the country’s other major highways has also contributed to the low number of accidents.

Finally, the number of street fights, robberies, murders, and even wounding did not give us any shock and we hope it stays like that for the coming 10-years. Cooperation between the police and the public made it possible to enjoy incident-free BOT50 celebrations.

We thank you all and appeal for improvement in customer care and productivity.

Today’s thought

“The key is to set realistic customer expectations, and then not to just meet them, but to exceed them — preferably in unexpected and helpful ways.” 

 – Richard Branson