17 Dec 2014

The Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi, has urged public servants to up their game and take their responsibilities seriously so that Batswana could benefit from government programmes.

Mr Masisi said  there was a growing habit of poor service delivery within the public service. 

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Pitseng on December 17, Mr Masisi, who is also MP for Moshupa-Manyana said even though he was aware of some challenges faced by the public service, they should see how best they could work with the availed resources to produce positive results.

Furthermore, the Vice President urged relevant officers to make a database for all small businesses in their areas so that they could be considered for government outsourced jobs. 

He said they needed to promote the Economic Diversification Drive (EDD) because it helped to create jobs. He also urged owners of such businesses to come up with ideas on how best government could engage their business. 

This, he noted, will ensure the success of the initiative as well as reduce poverty among Batswana.  The Vice President expressed gratitude to residents of Pitseng and other villages in his constituency for showing confidence in him by re-electing him as their Member of Parliament.

Mr Masisi, said his appointment as education minister and ultimately Vice President was all thanks to the constituents who voted him to parliament. He also said the President, Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama also showed trust in him by nominating him as the Vice President, something which he said was grateful for. 

He said a lot of capable cabinet ministers could be appointed to that position, but the President preferred him. This, he noted did not in any way make him seem better than his counterparts in cabinet. Mr Masisi noted that he would continue to be trustworthy to the Presidency as he haa always been and would execute his duties as expected.

He, however, informed Pitseng residents that his new responsibilities implied that his visits to the constituency would not be as regular as they would expect for an ordinary MP. 

He said even though he would continue with their usual consultations through kgotla meetings, preference would be given to national duties, which sometimes would make him travel internationally.

Nevertheless, he urged them to communicate their needs with the area councillor so that development could continue even in his absence.  He also advised them to contact his secretaries on other issues that could not be resolved at constituency level. ENDS