15 Jun 2020

Minister of  Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Mr Tumiso Rakgare, has warned ministry employees against corruption.

The minister sounded warning bells in an address to staff in Lobatse on June 12.

“We have had a problem of corruption over the past few years and it has not stopped. Some of us found an opportunity through COVID-19 to engage in corruption. But I  have made it clear that we would not hesitate to take stringent action against anyone caught practicing corruption in our ministry,” the minister said.

Mr Rakgare also acknowledged staff welfare challenges such as lack of progression.

He explained that the ministry was in the process of addressing the challenges through a restructuring exercise.

“We have proposed to the Directorate of Public Service Management to evaluate our structure with a view to improve it. And, at a government level, we are going to reconfigure things and very soon there will be an announcement, which may transfer some of our functions to other ministries,” Mr Rakgare said.

He expressed hope that the restructuring exercise would result in better employee welfare.

“We are doing all these things because we understand that we are not going to deliver good results with demotivated employees. We need to give Batswana the good service which they deserve,” the minister added.

Principal programmes officer for Lobatse, Mr Alfred Ditsele, said a tender process was ongoing to renovate the town’s library.  

He said works would include upgrading the library internet facility.

He said uptake of the youth empowerment programmes was still low in Lobatse.

“We have, however, put in place a plan to increase the uptake of programmes post COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Ditsele said. ENDS