Levy increase would not solve anything - Mangole

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Thursday March 18, 2010 00:00

He was responding to a presentation on budget allocation for Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture in which the minister said he intends to engage youth role models to address their peers throughout the country on the dangers of alcohol abuse.

He said this communication initiative is better than that adopted by President Ian Khama of increasing the levy, a move that has already proved ineffective. He warned that people who drink alcohol would soon reduce the family budget to cover the deficit if government goes ahead with increasing the levy. He added that the levy would impact badly on the economy of the country leading to subsequent closure of Kgalagadi Breweries and its sister company Botswana Breweries Ltd. Once this happens, people would be forced to go and drink in neighbouring countries while some would smuggle alcohol into the country.

On another issue, Mangole said there is need for a comprehensive structure on how the constituency games should be conducted and government should provide sporting facilities that can be manned by the Village Development Committees.

The current system, he said, puts pressure on MPs who are forced to organise transport and other logistics for the games.MP for Ngwaketse West, Mephato Reatile on the other hand, said constituency games are a waste of government funds and are not sustainable. He said that if government was truly committed to youth empowerment, it should come up with a law or policy that compels contractors of big projects to employ the youth and train them in skills and experience they can use to sustain their lives in future.

Reatile accused the BDP of using Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC) as a training institute for its youth and appealed to the minister to strive for neutral staff at BNYC.

MP for Shoshong Dikgang Makgalemele appealed to the minister to draft a Corporate Social Responsibility law to benefit sport development in the country.