03 Dec 2015

The presidential task team, which has been appointed to formulate a new vision for the country, is continuing to solicit ideas from Batswana through different consultation platforms.

Speaking during a kgotla meeting in Kanye recently, team member, Ms Regina Sikalesele-Vaka said they were focusing on areas such as the environment and natural resources, development, political governance and economic management. 

She said they would spread wings to reach the masses by using such media as Facebook to cater for the youth.

She said the vision would be used as a yardstick to gauge Batswana on various areas which would help advance and preserve Botswana’s culture of moral uprightness.

Ms Sikalesele-Vaka said Batswana should stay focused on building the nation’s future, adding that the vision envisages a Botswana that would be coveted by the world.

She said in the envisaged vision, a Motswana would be proud to be a citizen of the country, emphasising that the nation should introspect on how goals could be achieved.

Ms Sikalesele-Vaka expressed gratitude to the community’s contribution towards the project.

However, residents were of the view that the Vision 2016 report should have been released first before consultations for Vision 2036 started. The said such a move could have been more helpful because they would be having appropriate information on the former that would help construct the latter.

One of the residents, Mr Pontius Mokgosana said consultations should spread to government offices so that employees may know what was expected of them.

He said chiefs should be accorded more powers and that they deserved to be respected and play a meaningful role in the development of the country.

He said dikgosi should have authority over their people and should be allowed to exercise disciplinary action to curb immorality.

He complained that dikgosi had limited powers, more especially in stock theft cases, saying it degraded them. He called for the amendment of the constitution to rectify the problem.

He said Batswana should acknowledge the past as they move forward.

Another resident, Mr Bashi Raleru shared the same sentiments as Mr Mokgosana. He also said dikgosi should have more powers, adding that they should be equivalent to parliamentarians.

He said Ntlo ya Dikgosi and Parliament should complement each other. 

Bishop Koolopile Pema said he envisaged a Botswana without cohabitation in 2036, saying it degrades the institution of marriage. 

He said stadia, which come with positive benefits such as good health, crime reduction and character building for the youth by injecting a spirit of discipline and competitiveness, were needed in villages. Ends