An open letter to all Botswana MPs
Correspondent | Friday March 10, 2017 14:57
I have not yet had a clear explanation as to why you have been given this money. I mean what are you going to use it for specifically? Let me admit that I have never seen 10 million pula with my own eyes.
I am not even sure if it is the kind of money that I can put in my pocket. And many of us don't really know how much money it is. Ga re itse gore tota madi a ke bokae
Let's put that aside and talk about the one thing that I think all of you must do in your constituencies. I am speaking in my capacity as a senior citizen of all the 57 constituencies. Yes, I am 71 years old, now.
Botswana is a dirty country. We all know that and everyday we try to clean it up. I don't think we are succeeding though.
Here is one area where I think we have failed dismally. Botswana has no public toilets in its villages and towns. I know some shopping malls have a few. My point is that you must use some of the money to construct public toilets in your villages, towns and other important places.
They must be clean pay-toilets. If people don't pay for using them there will be no money to maintain them.
We all know that hundreds of people are charged by the police every year for a crime called 'public indecency'. I need not give details.
Remember we call ourselves a middle-income country. I am not sure exactly how a middle income country must look like, but I strongly suspect that it must not look dirty and it must not stink.
This is also about employment remember. For example, a set of 10 toilets open day and night can employ more than 20 people, working in shifts of six hours, eight people per shift.
Also remember, you can construct the toilets and lease them out to individuals or small companies to run them as businesses. This is the one business where you don't need to pay for stock.
*Bishy Mmusi is a veteran journalist