25 Nov 2019

Member of Parliament for Mochudi East, Mr Mabuse Pule has welcomed government’s commitment to revitalising the tourism sector in an effort to empower citizens and businesses involved in the sector.

Debating the State-Of-Nation Address in Parliament recently, he said review of tourism policy would maximise benefits for the locals in the sector.

Mr Pule said the tourism sector had multiple avenues for job creation, especially to the unemployed youth as well as to help diversify the economy.

He said the proposed heritage tourism master plan development in the south of the country would engage communities meaningfully by providing new business opportunities as well as help protect natural resources, and improve their quality of life.

“I am happy that my constituency of Mochudi East is steadfast and ready to unearth tourism sites that are undeveloped and not known,” he said.

Mr Pule also said Mochudi East residents were happy about the Self Help Housing Agency that many a good number of Batswana had taken advantage of.

Mr Pule also said the use of the ICT sector as a platform for learning was a welcome development because it would position the country well towards a knowledge-based economy.

He said the development of solar energy would also develop Batswana especially those involved in farming.

Mr Pule noted that cultural and creative industries should be promoted in the form of cultural festivals that pulled crowds and thereby creating positive ripple-effects in entrepreneurship that came along with hosting such festivals.

He called upon the government to improve the internal roads within Kgatleng District and bring about more developments in the district which he said had been designated for economic zones.

MP for Okavango, Mr Kenny Kapinga called on government to design a programme that would uplift the lives of people of Okavango, who he said lived in poverty.

He argued that the cosmetic programmes that had so far been brought to them would not assist them in a meaningful way as poverty was rife in the area.

Mr Kapinga said the poor infrastructure in Okavango especially the Sehithwa-Mohembo and Mohembo-Gudigwa roads was a sign for no hope to facilitate development within the constituency.

He decried lowest education levelsin his constituency, adding that poor results were perpetuated by poverty levels of residents.

“What do you expect from a child whose school is constructed of river reeds and expect that child to be part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution” he submitted.
Mr Kapinga said the Okavango region was also faced with severe water shortage despite being near   a river which flows throughout the year.

He said there was need to address water needs in the Okavango region as a matter of urgency because bousing was not a solution anymore.

On other issues, he said the government should find ways to uplift lives of Okavango people who live in an environment good for cattle production because some wholly depended on cattle rearing.

He complained that SONA did not state how the human-wildlife conflict would be solved because residents were unable to care for their livestock in an elephant prone area, noting that those who were unable to navigate their away around such animals were helpless.

Mr Kapinga also complained of delays in the compensation in cases where lives were lost as the money only came after several months. He submitted that the government should act compassionately and review levels of the compensation plan to match the value of lost lives.

Mr Kapinga also said Okavango people were denied land allocation, arguing that land management policy should be reviewed in order to benefit the citizens.

He also said Okavango residents were often sent from pillar to post when they applied for campsites for land concessions, something which he said should be improved.

Mr Kapinga also called for the revision of military management budget and resources allocated to them.

He argued that the Botswana Police Service (BPS) should be more resourced because they dealt with public security hence their budget should be redirected to the real threat to crime.

He argued that there was no reason enough for the Directorate of Intelligence Services to be catapulted to the highest levels and be given huge funding over the BPS.

“It is about time to rebuild our security structures and ensure that resources are given to right people,” he said. ENDS