26 Jan 2016

Communities have been urged to think outside the box and reduce dependency on government assistance.

A member of the Vision 2036 delegation which visited Maun, Lt Gen. Tebogo Masire said communities should not wait for the vision as some things could be done without government assistance.

The delegation was on a mission to solicit views from the community on what could be done to achieve Vision 2036. He urged Batswana to come up with ways to uplift their livelihood and reduce dependency on government assistance.

The former BDF commander made the plea when responding to some residents.

Residents were advised to take advantage of business opportunities they saw rather than waiting for the government to act. Lt Gen. Masire pointed out that a vision was a long term strategy which takes time to be implemented.

“Let us all be alive and reduce dependency on government assistance,” he added. He observed that some communities decried lack of developments because they wait for the government to do everything for them.

However, residents requested that the government should start businesses for people to work, but Lt Gen. Masire explained that the government could only create a friendly environment for businesses to thrive.

Residents also talked about Ipelegeng programme, saying the initiative has no future as people do not acquire any skills. They said the government should establish factories or big fields where people could work and learn skills which they could use when they leave the programme.

Residents also complained about some land boards policies, saying some clauses need to be amended as they deny them to have shelter and live dignified lives. 

Lt Gen. Masire said issues of policy amendment do not have to wait for the vision, but that the concerned people could take up the issue with their political representatives.

Other issues that residents felt were priority issues for them included health, education, infrastructure, water, decentralisation of services, funding of political parties and a permanent solution to livestock diseases such as the Foot and Mouth Disease.

Residents also suggested that the government should introduce pre-schools  to close the gap between English and Tswana  medium schools. On issues of health, they said health facilities continue to experience shortage of drugs and personnel and called on the government to come up with interventions.

However, some residents said the delegation could have briefed them about the Vision 2016 report so that they could appreciate the achievements and challenges.

For his part, Lt Gen. Masire agreed with them concerning the report, but stated that time was not on their side as Vision 2016 was coming to an end on September and that Vision 2036 would start. Ends