MP Gaborone not happy with WUC takeover

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Thursday February 11, 2010 00:00

He said the takeover has killed productivity as people spend time in queues waiting to pay their bills, something that did not happen at Waters Affairs offices.  He also criticised the takeover of clinics by the Ministry of Health from local government saying it is also likely to kill service delivery. He likened the takeover with that of Community Junior Secondary Schools and brigades, which he says has brought more misery than good. He said that the government system makes it very difficult to get work done because of bureaucracy. 'The transition is always difficult,' he emphasised.

Gaborone however welcomed the creation of sub districts, adding that they should be provided with adequate resources to avoid them having to rely on major districts.  The leader of the opposition praised the ISPAAD programme and said it has encouraged more people to show interest in farming. However, he advised government to educate people about better methods of farming that can produce more yield. He added that researchers must also look at better ways of improving agricultural production in Botswana. Gaborone said that government should learn from the recent economic crisis that economic diversification is very important. The MP called on the Ministry of Education to focus more on science and agriculture subjects as they are the main drivers of economies these days.

He also called for a policy to regulate lending by commercial banks saying they lure customers into heavy debt - probably something similar to National Credit Act of South Africa. MPs have been allocated 26 minutes each to comment on the budget speech, whilst Leader of the House Vice President Mompati Merafhe was allocated 1hr 30 minutes.