06 Aug 2018

Permanent Secretary to the President, Mr Carter Morupisi has urged public servants in Mahalapye to be proactive and turn the village into an investor hub.

Mr Morupisi said this yesterday (August 6) when addressing public servants in Mahalapye.

He noted that it could only be achieved in a welcoming and friendly environment.

Mr Morupisi said villages such as  Palapye have stepped forward and were now booming with industrialisation.

“There is something missing which you are not doing to attract investors,” he said.

Mr Morupisi said it was unfortunate that in the early 1970s, Mahalapye was associated with gangs of criminals known as “botsotsi” tarnishing the image of the village, and called on the current crop of public servants to work with the community to transform the village and give it a face that would boost investors confidence.

He added that transformation would only be achieved by removing all the obstacles delaying service delivery.

He said by transforming the village into an investor hub, public servants would be addressing one of the pillars of President Masisi’s roadmap of job creation.

Mr Morupisi said government employees must play their part in assisting President Masisi realise his dream of creating employment opportunities.

He said developing the private sector would go a long way in creating employment opportunities.

Mr Morupisi said the bureaucratic process in changing land use was some of the challenges affecting private sector development that the public service in Mahalapye must focus on.

“As long as it is possible to effect the change in use, please to do so within a reasonable time,” he said.

Mr Morupisi also cautioned land authorities  to exercise  caution in dealing with issues of land.

He stated that as part of President Masisi’s road map and in line with Vision 2036, government was in the process of establishing a national strategy team that would be tasked with addressing issues of national concern.

On other issues, Mr Morupisi said President Masisi was encouraging public officers to focus on personal development.

“For President Masisi, when it comes to educational development, the sky is the limit,” he added.

He said government employees must upgrade their qualifications and be competent in what they did.  

“Remunerations aside, be confident of what you are assigned to do. Botswana is well known for its competent public service and the trend must grow and even be able to penetrate the global work environment,” he said.

In relation to maintaining high standards of morality and integrity, Mr Morupisi advised government workers to operate in a corrupt free environment.

In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Duncan Segotsi appreciated the need for Mr Morupisi to address public workers and get first hand information on issues hindering service delivery.

Kgosi Segotsi also said shortage of resources was among the primary challenges for government workers in their quest to serve the community.

He also highlighted the shortage of vehicles, accommodation and office space as among the challenges.

Mr Morupisi appreciated challenges raised by Kgosi Segotsi, saying government would be focused on addressing issues relating to welfare of employees and service delivery.

He said the challenges would be addressed amicably through consultations with relevant stakeholders including public officers.

Mr Morupisi also informed the meeting that all concerns raised by the employees would be investigated, and urged supervisors to facilitate and assist their supervisees in providing services to the public. ENDS