23 Nov 2017

Member of Parliament for Ngami, Mr Thato Kwerepe has commended government initiatives because many Batswana have been empowered. 

Commenting on the State Of the Nation Address (SONA) on November 22, he said President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama had laid a road-map that he has fulfilled with all his might.

Through this, he has ensured that the ‘D’ for dignity was restored to the less privileged members of community.

He appreciated President Khama because he went to all corners of the country and ‘saw the real abject poverty that would have not been known’. 

Mr Kwerepe was also thankful that in his constituency, tourism dividends were enjoyed by members of the community because they were the ones running community-based tourism ventures.

Mr Kwerepe commended government for the initiation of pre-school, which he said created room for multiple pathways for children at a tender age.

“Our curriculum is relevant because its reviews has created multiple pathways as espoused in the Revised Policy on Education,” he said.

With regards to the highly politicised disillusioned public service, he said public officers should find other means of augmenting their salaries because government had created policies that empowered them to do businesses and improve to their lives. 

“Public officers have benefits such as remote area allowances and two leave-days travel that is not part of their leave days,” he said. 

Still in Parliament, MP for Maun West, Mr Tawana Moremi expressed discontent with regards to progress on implementation of motions passed in Parliament. 

He said  for the last 10 years he did not recall any implemented motion, which he said was a cause for concern.

He said the only progress he had seen was with regards to the acts or policies geared towards establishment of state-owned enterprises. 

He said that was done to decentralise government services, which he commended government for. 

Mr Moremi further commended President Khama for his involvement and support of creative industries and sports, which he said had unearthed hidden talents.

However, Mr Moremi said Ipelegeng programme was a setback for government because it was a temporary relief measure meant for hand-to-mouth living,  which he said government should not categorise under employment creation. 

Mr Moremi further bemoaned lack of roads infrastructure in his constituency, citing Maun\Francistown road.

“The Maun/Francistown road was constructed in 1992 and it has long surpassed its lifespan,” he said.

He wondered what the road levy funds were used for because there was poor maintenance of roads countrywide.

Mr Moremi also called on government to implement the national water master plan because water continued to be a scarce resource.

Mr Moremi also called for registration of trusts to benefit local communities residing at tourism destination areas.

“My disappointment is the way government neglects the rights of the people residing at tourism areas. Government should give those people priority when allocating land in such areas. This land is ours, it does not belong to the state,” he said. 

MP for Mmadinare, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila commended government  for creating an enabling environment and facilitating the uptake of inclusion of youth in the pursuit of sustainable jobs through initiatives such as Youth Development Fund.

He called for involvement of all to empower youth by nurturing them to understand the overall equation of employment creation, and not to leave the responsibility solely to government.

Mr Mzwinila further said the formalised skills development had also empowered youth to become responsible through initiatives such as Tirelo Setshaba, Graduate Volunteer Scheme and National Internship Programme, which had provided youth with experiential learning. 

“Most people have misunderstood GVS as a programme meant to exploit our youth, but we need to understand that it is meant to capacitate youth with experiential learning as part of our overall skills development paradigm as a government, which we excel in,” he said.

He further said different funding models available had grown private sector, which he said also targeted youth to reduce unemployment.

He hailed government for notable strides in culture development in the promotion of arts competition as well as unearthing talent that had sustained young people.

“We nurture their artistic potential to create sustainable jobs from their talents. 

Cultural festivals across the country have also intensified across the length and breadth of our country,” he said. ENDS