Matambo dashes Phikwe residents' dreams

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Wednesday February 17, 2010 00:00

Speaking during a budget review dialogue,  organised by the Botswana Conuncil for Non-governmental Organisations ((BOCONGO) on Monday, Botswana National Front (BNF) publicity secretary, Moeti Mohwasa said the future of Selebi-Phikwe and the region is uncertain.

He said Matambo's maiden budget speech had nothing for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. 'It has been officially announced that BCL Mine will be closing in 2013 and we are just wondering what will happen to us. The minister did not say anything to save Selebi-Phikwe from becoming a ghost town,' he said.

Mohwasa said people called for the construction of dams a long time ago when it was cheaper but their calls fell on deaf ears. He noted that the construction is being done now when things are expensive.

He pointed out that the government could have sustained a power station that was in Selebi-Phikwe because it could be generating more power at a cheaper cost than the one that will be  imported from Zimbabwe. He observed that the station would have also generated employment for Batswana. He suggested that the government must have a stake in business instead of leaving it to the private sector.

'The lower class is the most hit because there are no safety nets to protect them. If that sector of the community feels ignored, there will be unrest in the country,' said Mohwasa.

Botswana Secondary Education Teachers Union (BOSETU) gender affairs secretary, Kennedy Dudzayi said the budget has failed to address gender issues. He added that women economic empowerment cannot be ignored.

The government has no policy that calls for the mainstreaming of gender into the budget process, he charged.

'Programmes such as CEDA are not catering for women. Government uses a one-size-fits-all approach, which is bad. There must be a policy that caters for women,' he said.

Dudzayi mentioned that the increased value added tax (VAT) increment will erode the buying power of most Batswana especially women. He stated that the move will cripple women headed families. He also said that BOSETU is against cost sharing because some parents cannot afford paying school fees, forcing some students to drop out of school. He stated that if gender is still considered an idea and not a reality, then the country is not going anywhere.

BOCONGO board member, Gaontebale Mokgosi, appreciated the ISPAAD and Young Farmers Fund initiatives in domestic food production and employment creation. He complained that the government did not put much effort in transforming the communal rain-fed agriculture.

He said that the main obstacle that young farmers face is lack of land and called for tribal land and common land leases should be allowed to be sub-freely. He said this will effectively allow the young farmers to trade their right to use the land.

'The government must avoid embarking on new investment initiatives that are unproductive, with no future outlook beyond the diamond era,' said Mokgosi.

He said the Ipelegeng programme remuneration is far below and cannot lift people out of poverty. He noted that most of the youth on the project have been looking for jobs for prolonged periods as a result they end up taking up initiatives that make them to be a permanent underclass.Mokgosi recommended that instead of unproductive bush and trenches clearing and cleanings, greater emphasis should be on the livelihood system focusing on a variety of rural economic pursuits,

He went on to say that there must be a development of youth proper sports and arts academies to be used as strategic places for identifying talent among the youth.

He noted that the budget is silent on the youth, industrial projects and recreational centres. Another activist Khumiso Basako complained that the government has continued to sideline Selebi-Phikwe.

He said the shelving of the College of Applied Arts and Science has complicated the situation, adding that  government's decision to increase VAT will cripple Selebi-Phikwe's economy.