23 Feb 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some of the structural problems that exist within the economy, Selibe Phikwe West Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse has said.

Speaking on Monday during the debate on the budget speech, Mr Keorapetse said the pandemic showed that the economy was easily susceptible to external shocks.

He said opposition parties had long warned that the ruling party was building an economy that was undiversified and heavily reliant on mineral exports and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) revenue.

Mr Keorapetse said prior to COVID-19, Botswana’s economy had been characterised by heavy reliance on diamond revenue, high unemployment, high levels of poverty, low wages and worsening working conditions.

He said the pandemic had only served to worsen the situation, noting that tariffs and levies had been imposed on various goods and services when many Batswana were earning half salaries and were indebted to credit bureaus.

Mr Keorapetse said for decades opposition parties had proposed the diversification of revenue streams through investment in manufacturing, self sufficiency in food production and other key commodities which would make Botswana adaptable to shocks.

He said the creation of better quality jobs and support for indigenous citizen entrepreneurs should be a priority. He added that there should be decentralisation and that local councils should be empowered with executive mayors or chairpersons who could oversee the development of holding companies that could generate funds for their municipalities.

Mr Keorapetse also said the opposition in Parliament had never denied the existence of COVID-19, and had rather called for better preparation such as the purchase of equipment, including ventilators and the early procurement of vaccines.

He said as a middle-income country and the oldest continuous democracy south of the Sahara, Botswana should not be in a situation where the public remained unsure of the exact date when a vaccination would become available and rolled out. He added that other African countries had started vaccinating their citizens.

Mr Keorapetse urged government to establish another major COVID-19 health centre in the north of the country to ease the burden on Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital.

He recommended that government should empower the Selibe Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU) for the purpose of being an investment arm that could revive commercial activity in Selibe Phikwe.

He also said Selibe Phikwe schools were performing well and needed to be given support in order to continue succeeding. ENDS