Mmegi

The right to food: Botswana’s unfulfilled promise

Basic needs: Quality nutrition is a perennial challenge throughout Africa PEOPLESIMAGES.COM
Basic needs: Quality nutrition is a perennial challenge throughout Africa PEOPLESIMAGES.COM

The country is debating the establishment of a Constitutional Court. Others want the right to health included in the Constitution, given the ongoing crisis. Mothers, meanwhile, are struggling just to simply feed their children. NNASARETHA KGAMANYANE writes

With food prices soaring and unemployment rampant, Olerato Montsho’s story is a stark reminder of Botswana's crippling food insecurity crisis."I'm forced to buy whatever is cheapest," says Montsho* her eyes welling up with tears. "My son is always sick, and I know it is because he is not eating right."

Montsho's plight is a familiar one in Botswana, where 49.4% of the population faces moderate to severe food insecurity. The country's reliance on imports and lack of investment in local agriculture has worsened the problem over the years.

Editor's Comment
Our digital safety is in our hands

That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...

Have a Story? Send Us a tip
arrow up