19 Dec 2019

Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane has dismissed opposition MPs claims that aligns the ruling party with the use of kgotla for political mileage prior to the general election.
Debating the State-of-the-Nation Address in Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Tsogwane said the kgotla system had maintained social cohesion and identity in all the communities, while it also promoted freedom of expression and equality before the law.
He said it was against this background that government had infused the kgotla system into a democratic process such that it continued to play its important role at the community and national levels. 
He indicated that Botswana communities had always had a kgotla system, which was a community-level participatory governance system through which public opinion, consultations and arbitrations were processed.
 The kgotla system, he said, was the foundation of Botswana’s democratic institutions, systems and processes, thus it maintained a high degree of transparency, integrity and respect, including the language used, for it to be a place for everybody.
Mr Tsogwane said for the kgotla system to be a place for everybody, it would then not condone anything that was not inclusive or that was divisive to the society, adding that political activities in all their forms could not be held in a kgotla because different people would associate with different political parties.
The Vice President thus dismissed allegations that the kgotla system was used for campaign propaganda or politics.
He said the kgotla system remained a consultative institution that promoted development, but not an instrument of one group or individuals for the purpose of political mileage.
“It is through the kgotla that Botswana has remained united, proud and peaceful across generations from time immemorial.  It is true that without our consultative machinery facilitated by the kgotla this nation would not be enjoying the international praise as the best example of democracy,” he said.
He said government recognised the role of the kgotla system in nation-building, national unity and sustenance, thus it was against this background that the kgotla institution would remain apolitical and never used for campaign propaganda.
Mr Tsogwane stated that it was no exaggeration to say that Botswana had distinguished itself as one of the economies where democracy, as a political system, had worked at its best.
“As a nation, we remain a source of inspiration to many in as far as upholding the principles of democracy and good governance are concerned, which are deeply rooted in our culture as a people,” he said. He urged the nation not to be weary, but remain committed to those parameters of strengthening the systems, institutions and processes of democracy.
Further, the Vice President, who is also Boteti West legislator, highlighted the need for Boteti to be a fully-fledged district as it was currently one of the biggest sub-districts in the country.
 He said due to its proximity to the two game reserves; Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Makgadikgadi Game Reserve, Boteti was prone to human-wildlife conflict, therefore his constituents were grateful for the lifting of the hunting ban.
 He, however, emphasised the need for a more intensified hunting intervention in the area, particularly for elephants. ENDS