01 Dec 2015

The government has always been prudent in handling public finance, and will not go overboard in using part of foreign reserves to fund the economic stimulus programme (ESP).

This was said by the Minister of Health, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sefhare-Ramokgonami, Ms Dorcas Makgato, while debating the State-of-the-Nation Address in Parliament.

“Our country has never borrowed beyond manageable levels, and even in using our foreign reserves we have never gone beyond reasonable limits.  

Our government will implement the ESP without being irresponsible, we are going to continue being practical,” he said.

She said that despite the criticisms leveled at the ESP from some quarters, in particular opposition party benches, the programme would be of good value to the country.

“Our country has faced a backlog of developmental projects in recent years, and the ESP will help address that situation, the construction and upgrade of schools, clinics, roads and other such infrastructure, stimulating the economy and improving services,” she said.

Ms Makgatho said that a social dynamic which has become worrisome in the country is the incidence of gender based violence (GVB), stating that a lot of incidents of women being raped and children defiled are not reported.

She also said that some women face violence on a daily basis, with some assaulted and others murdered by their partners, a situation she said should not be allowed to prevail uncontested.

Furthermore, Ms Makgatho urged the government to consider implementing developmental projects in her constituency, including the construction of a police station in Ramokgonami, a technical college in Chadibe, and a Radisele-Mokobeng road which she said would boost trade in the agricultural area.

She also urged the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mr Tshekedi Khama to visit her constituency with a view of assessing areas that could be used to boost tourism in the country.

With regards to health issues, Ms Makgatho said that many Batswana suffer from lifestyle diseases and have to be encouraged to live healthier lifestyles.

“Non-communicable diseases affect many people in this country, which means we need to exercise as well as improve our diet.  Some of our traditional foods such as bogobe, dinawa and morogo are more nutritious than some of modern foods that have preservatives.  

People should also desist from packing unhealthy foods for their children to eat at school, they should be taught healthy eating habits from childhood,” she said. Ends