Mmegi

The perils of Botswana’s welfare state

Helping hand: The country’s welfare programmes cover citizens from birth onwards. However, analysts believe there is scope to introduce more targeted assistance to the neediest
Helping hand: The country’s welfare programmes cover citizens from birth onwards. However, analysts believe there is scope to introduce more targeted assistance to the neediest

  To what extent are the numerous social welfare interventions restraining Botswana’s development prospects? And how practical is a ballooning welfare budget amid a fiscal crisis like none the country has seen? Will Botswana’s welfare statisim crumble like the Soviet Wall in 1991 or will it endure to great fortunes like the Nordic countries? TIMOTHY LEWANIKA enquires

Of the many fading values that served as the cornerstone of yesteryear Botswana, there is one that seems to be dissipating faster than most – the value of self-reliance.

Editor's Comment
Child protection needs more than prevailing laws

The rise in defilement and missing persons cases, particularly over the recent festive period, points not merely to a failure of policing, but to a profound and widespread societal crisis. Whilst the Police chief’s plea is rightly directed at parents, the root of this emergency runs deeper, demanding a collective response from every corner of our community. Marathe’s observations paint a picture of neglect with children left alone for...

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