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
Use social media to build, not destro

It is a warning flare to every Motswana who logs onto social media. As a country, we have reached a point where the line between robust debate and outright destruction has become dangerously blurred. At face value, Mabeo’s response, which seeks an apology and threat of a defamation suit, might seem severe to some. But we cannot ignore the context. The comment in question did not offer a policy critique or question a political decision.It...

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