01 Feb 2018

As President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama steps down from office, his legacy of youth empowerment and development cannot go un-noticed, acknowledged or recorded in the history of this country, so said Assistant Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila, as quoted from a series of meetings in hIs constituency.

Since the President took over the presidency in 2008, he introduced Youth Empowerment Programmes such as the Youth Development Fund, Constituency Art and Sport Competitions, among others.

Mr Mzwinila explained that the motive behind the programmes was to unearth talent, nurture it and help it grow so that such talents had a positive impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of society.

Regarding Youth Development Fund, Mr Mzwinila, who is also MP for Mmadinare, indicated that through the fund, youth projects that were viable were funded. 

He said the projects’ main purpose was to bring in businesses, make money and create employment for Batswana, especially the youth. 

Further, he said some of the projects were now playing a positive role in the economy of the country.

He said Constituency Sport Competitions, which include football, netball, volleyball and athletics, were introduced by President Khama so that talent could be unearthed in different fields.

He said the programme worked well in that young people who were out of school, but unemployed were engaged in sport  and were deterred from engaging in deviant behaviours such as alcohol and drug abuse as well as criminal activities.

In addition, through sport competitions, talent was unearthed and groomed to a level where youth engaged competed in international arena. 

He said due to this fact, Botswana managed to get medals in international sporting events. 

This, he said, had managed to put Botswana on the map and encouraged other youth to take sport serious with the understanding that even the academically challenged  could make a living out of sport.

Mr Mzwinila further added that through the constituency art competitions introduced by President Khama, culture had been preserved. 

He noted that the move also brought Batswana from different cultural backgrounds together as a unified people to share cultural values. 

He said the art competitions also served as a platform to market local traditional music.

The legislator also added that President Khama was a people’s person, who found it difficult to rest while other Batswana are living in poverty. 

He said the Poverty Eradication programme had been used to empower those living in abject poverty to start viable projects that would sustain their lives. 

He explained that many Batswana, especially those living in rural areas, had benefitted from the programme and so much so that many were currently living well.

He said President Khama grew up in a family where of giving out to the needy and taking care of the less privileged in society was tradition. 

He said he had done well in helping those in need by providing gifts such as blankets, clothes, food, Bibles, sweets for children, among other things.

Further, through his initiative, President Khama encouraged Batswana and instilled a sense of responsibility in them so that they take care of one another and the less privileged in society as it is a norm in Setswana.

Mr Mzwinila said the President planted a seed of goodwill among Batswana and encouraged his fellow Batswana to make charity work part of the national culture.

“Further, President Khama introduced the President’s Housing Appeal to make sure that every Motswana has a roof over their heads and live a dignified life,” he said, adding that so far close to 1 000 houses have been given to those in need.

Meanwhile, in an interview with residents of Selebi Phikwe, many acknowledged President Khama for what he has done for the country with regards to bringing developments in the rigion despite the closure of the BCL Mine, which impacted negatively on the lives of people living in the township and the SPEDU region. 

They said infrastructural developments that came in through President Khama’s Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) impacted positively on the socio-economic wellbeing of the society in that jobs were created for residents, especially the youth. 

They were even more gratified that youth companies benefitted from the programmes. 

Some noted that since President Khama took office in 2008 during the time when the world was facing an economic crunch, he did well in steering this country to where it is today, with all the developments that had taken place and the improvement in the standard of living.

President Khama is scheduled to be in Mmadinare today to bid farewell to residents of the constituency as he will be stepping down end of March.

President Khama will later this afternoon proceed to Selebi Phikwe, where a farewell session will be held for him at the Selebi Phikwe but station. ENDS