#VaccinateBotswana: Waiting for your name to be called

Recieving COVID-19 vaccine PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG
Recieving COVID-19 vaccine PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG

President Mokgweetsi Masisi this week began touring some of the COVID-19 vaccination sites to get first-hand experience of what is going on, as Batswana voice their dissatisfaction with the pace of vaccination. On social media, the #VaccinateBotswana hashtag has gone viral, being used by Batswana to urge the government to speed up procurement and distribution of vaccines. Last week’s shock announcement that more than 4,000 cases had been picked over three days, stunned many citizens and the feeling is that behavioural change interventions have reached their limit. Pharmaceutical interventions are now needed, more urgently than before, especially as Batswana bury their loved ones daily.

On Wednesday, the hashtag campaign was joined by an online petition, which exploded overnight with nearly 1,300 people signing on. The petition says by July 31, “the people of Botswana demand that government” give a full account of COVID-19 spending, give details of the strategy, provide evidence of all discussions with vaccine producers, report on all donations given and several other demands.

Leading both the hashtag campaign and the online petition are Batswana in an age group that has been waiting for months while the 55-year-olds and above were being vaccinated. With deaths spiralling, young Batswana have taken it upon themselves to demand that government account and commit.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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