01 Apr 2020

Maun Business Botswana has assured government of its full support during the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has paralysed many sectors of the economy.

The chairperson, Mr James Evans revealed in an interview that the pandemic needed all stakeholders to join forces and come up with measures to cushion hard hit sectors, such as the tourism industry.

The tourism industry, he said played a very significant role in the national economy, hence the need to come up with recovery measures.

He also acknowledged that the government had invested a lot in the development of the sector and also encouraged the business community to diversify the sector.

Mr Evans said there was need for collaboration between the North West District leadership, Maun Business Botswana and other COVID-19 task forces, to see how best to coordinate and channel their efforts towards reducing the impact of the pandemic.

He underscored the need to work as a team and share resources where possible, to spread prevention measures and sensitise the public, including the business community, about the consequences of the outbreak.

“It is a worrisome situation the way the tourism industry has been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Many tourism businesses have shut down completely and retrenched staff because there was no business at all,” he added.

Mr Evans noted that Business Botswana, had formed a task force in Maun made up of some members of the business community, political leaders and members of the community, whose role was to come up with modalities on how best they could support and collaborate with district leadership to facilitate COVID-19 prevention and see how best they could support the tourism industry.

He said Botswana was a key tourism destination and failure to cushion the industry, may result in recession.

He appreciated that the industry was also a key contributor to job creation, hence the need to assist employees who had lost their jobs.

Mr Evans revealed that the task force was concerned about some businesses, which had retrenched employees, while some were on half salary as it questioned whether the employers did that in accordance with the labour laws.

He said they had engaged relevant authorities to clarify the issue, adding that it was advisable for employers to comply with law and policies in place.

He also acknowledged efforts by the government to establish a relief fund in an effort to engage all stakeholders in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Evans appreciated some organisations and individuals who had responded positively to the government call.

The chairperson expressed concern about some supermarkets, which did not ensure that the social distancing measure was maintained.

He said the task force monitored some shopping centres and found out that while the shops implemented the use of sanitisers, they were not ensuring that customers maintained 1-2 metres distance between themselves.

Mr Evans encouraged all businesses to come on board and ensure the safety of customers was not compromised, and that all prevention measures were fully implemented and adhered to. ENDS