14 Mar 2021

The National Assembly on Friday passed a motion tabled by Tonota Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Pono Moatlhodi, for an increment of the old age pension depending on when the state could afford such a measure and the amount the government could afford. 

Mr Moatlhodi had proposed that Parliament ‘requests government to consider increasing the old age pension as soon as the state could possibly afford,’ and got the support of the majority of parliamentarians, with a vote in favour of the motion.

Motivating for the adoption of the motion, Mr Moatlhodi said the country’s elderly had done much for the evolution of the nation from independence to date, by working hard nurturing younger generations, and thus needed to be offered better social protection.

He said he could not prescribe the amount for the increment, since the government pursued economic planning guided by the National Development Plan (NDP), and every year the state got to assess finances to make annual budget calculations of what could be afforded from the national fiscus.

Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Setlhabelo Modukanele said since the country was currently facing the COVID-19 pandemic, which had had negative effects on revenue generated by the state, it was prudent to first gauge how much the government could afford.

He said the minister in his portfolio, Mr Eric Molale had already started engaging the Minister of Finance and Economic Development Dr Thapelo Matsheka on the possibility of the increment, based on the financial state of the country’s treasury.

Mr Modukanele said government had always been responsible in pursuing social protection for the elderly, the disabled, children and other vulnerable groups within the society.

Selebi Phikwe West MP, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse said the contracting parties that made up the official opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), the Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Botswana People’s Party (BPP), had always called for old age pension scheme.

He said in the late 1960s the first MP to call for a universal pension scheme was the late leader of the BPP, former Leader of the Opposition, Mr Phillip Matante, followed later in the 1980s by former BNF MP Mr Matshwarelo Dabutha.

Mr Keorapetse said the governing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) voted against these motions, only to turn around later in the mid 1990s, after BDP MP, Mr Oliphant Mfa moved a similar motion.

He added that in their 1999, 2004 and 2009 election manifestos, the BCP suggested that to avoid wastage, those covered by sufficient workplace retirement pensions should be excluded from this national pension scheme, so funds could be freed up and increased for needy elderly people.

Mr Keorapetse said the UDC had called for a pension of P1 500 during their 2019 election manifesto, having considered the country’s economy, and that Botswana had among the lowest old age pension schemes in Southern Africa. 

He also said the UDC position was that the pension should start at the retirement age of 60, not 65 as is the current practice. Ends