Since the 2024 election cycle began, various parties have been throwing digits around to lure voters as the country gears up for the General Election slated for next week. Speaking to Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) members on Saturday, Masisi said the pledges made by opposition parties aren't feasible as they are bound to collapse the economy within two months of implementation. Masisi, who was launching both the Phikwe East and West BDP candidates, said all the opposition knows is to throw numbers around without assessing the repercussions of their promises on the economy. He said people shouldn't vote for the opposition with their unreasonable pledges which have the potential to cripple the economy. Amongst its key promises ahead of the October 30 polls, opposition outfit Botswana Congress Party (BCP) has indicated that it offers an economy that sustains a living wage of P4,000 per month by 2029.
Additionally, the party promised 300,000 new jobs by 2029, and a job in every household by 2029 to eradicate abject poverty. On the other hand, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) president, Duma Boko, said amongst their promises is to make sure that the elderly who take care of their grandchildren in the village are paid a monthly allowance of P1,800. “By the end of November, if the UDC wins the elections, you should see an EFT alert on your phone indicating that P1,800 has been credited into your account,” Boko promised. One of his pledges is to ensure that Batswana, especially the young, get decent jobs. “I'm not talking about Ipelegeng, I want them to have dignity and to live better lives with sustainable jobs. They shouldn't earn a salary which is less than P4,000. That’s the UDC promise,” Boko’s said. The coalition has committed to creating from 450,000 to 500,000 jobs within five years and building an economy that can sustain average salaries of P10,000 or more.
Masisi’s comments on the economy come after the backlash of the opposition’s assertions that the country is broke. BCP president, Dumelang Saleshando, told the media that by using words such as ‘mopumpunyego’ and ‘mokgokolosa’, President Masisi is one of the biggest dangers to Botswana’s economy due to his spending.
Finance Minister, Peggy Serame, told Parliament a few months back that there was a steep drop in the government’s savings, the Government Investment Account from P10.4 billion at the end of February to P5.4 billion at the end of April. Earlier this month, Statistics Botswana figures showed that the country’s exports dropped by 49% in July to P2.7 billion, weighed down by the protracted downturn in diamond sales. Still earlier this month, it was reported by this publication that Gross Domestic Product figures showed the economy’s slowdown improved somewhat in the second quarter, after a tough first quarter. Besides mining, all other sectors enjoyed positive growth and to an extent, limited the damage.
