17 Feb 2021

Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and other health challenges facing the country needs the involvement of all stakeholders in the community, including political representatives from across the political divide.

These were the views expressed by the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Edwin Dikoloti during his response during the Budget Speech debate in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Dr Dikoloti, also the Mmathethe-Molapowabojang Member of Parliament, said his ministry last year launched a community based health strategy focusing on improving primary healthcare delivery and the use of community structures to improve outcomes.

This requires the involvement of all stakeholders particularly the political leadership, and as such the country can ill afford to have national health challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic being used for political expediency, Dr Dikoloti said.

He explained that the recently announced tax on sugary products would focus on beverages such as soft drinks, which he said had been identified by the global health community as a challenge causing the rise in non-communicable diseases.

Dr Dikoloti said the political opposition in Parliament had been giving the public the wrong impression that the tax on sugary products was ill-advised and targeted the rural poor who used sugar on staples such as tea and porridge.

While acknowledging that the country had faced a COVID-19 induced economic challenge, Dr Dikoloti said there were means the country could use to increase its wealth generation with the agricultural sector being one of those avenues.

Minister Dikoloti said the Mmathethe-Molapowabojang constituency and the broader Southern District had many strong farmers that needed support in order to reach the agricultural commercialisation required to feed the country and broaden economic revenue streams.

He said in the Metlobo area, 10 000 hectares of land had been utilised by 1 746 farmers for agricultural development and they needed support with a better road network and transport links to markets.

Dr Dikoloti also called for a grain storage facility to be constructed at Mosi to assist Mosisedi commercial farmers store their produce.

Adding his contribution to the debate, Francistown West MP, Mr Ignatius Moswaane said corrupt practices had dented the economic progress of the country.

Mr Moswaane called for strong measures to be taken to safeguard against leakages in the country’s financial spending.

He further pleaded with government to work on servicing land in Francistown, saying there was enough land to create as many as 10 000 plots.

MP Moswaane decried the slow pace at which people were being allocated land.

He called on government to continue assisting people through policies such as the Women Economic Empowerment scheme at the Department of Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, adding that such policies were positive but seemed to have become dormant. Ends