Public assets looted

BCL Mine
BCL Mine

One of the strategies adopted by the ruling elite to accumulate land in and around the major urban centres like Gaborone and Francistown is to transform some areas into dumping sites for building and construction rubbles.

Those connected to government would then make requests for special allocations with a view to rehabilitate the land. It is this kind of fraud that appears to have escalated to other sectors of the economy. Today public enterprises are deliberately destroyed only to be taken over by multinational corporations handpicked by the government. The BCL is a clear case in point. Otherwise why would a normal government allow management of a state owned company to bring a profitable venture with huge savings to its knees in no time without timely and appropriate interventions?

Most of the state enterprises are run down on account of corruption, mismanagement, and misguided political interference. Elementary rules of governance are not followed. As a result a number of the parastatals are barely surviving. Naturally an animal in that situation attracts vultures that would be hovering around and taking positions to pounce on the carcass. As the public enterprises struggle to survive multi-national corporations and local parasitic capitalists are reading themselves to inherit that which they are not entitled to. There is massive looting of public enterprises that is taking place under the current regime. Deception, absence of consultation, and lack of transparency are at the centre of the mode of operation. Decisions on public assets disposal are mainly driven by greed. In Botswana today the interest of the ruling class has become synonymous with national interest. As comrade Kenny Kapinga correctly put it, the insecurity of the political leadership is treated as national insecurity. 

Editor's Comment
Stakeholders must step up veggie supply

The Ministry of Agriculture, local producers, retailers, and industry associations must work together to overcome the obstacles hindering vegetable production and distribution.This collaborative approach is essential to improve the availability, quality, and affordability of vegetables in the market.Firstly, the Ministry of Agriculture should provide support and guidance to local farmers to enhance their productivity and efficiency. This could...

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