05 Apr 2021

Parliament has extended the State of Public Emergency (SoE) by six months  from April 1 to September 30.

Speaking at end of the debate on the motion, Leader of the House and the Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane, said the country should not be compared with other countries because it had its own unique challenges.

He said the SoE had been helpful since movement of people during holidays resulted with the spread of the virus.

The Vice President said this, however, ‘does not mean the SoE would last for six months but should the situation improve, there would be some improvements.’

For his part, the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Edwin Dikoloti supported the motion, stating that the country was worse off than it was last year in April, saying the September and December holidays led to a rampant increase in local transmissions and limited supply of vaccines. He said interventions had to be a step ahead.

The minister said the acceptable social behaviour that was assumed to be adequate had not been effective.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Botswana had the highest COVID-19 case density per 100 000 people in the SADC region and in Africa, the minister said.

He said government could therefore not fail to intervene to save lives.

Dr Dikoloti said the first priority was to protect lives and contain the disease, adding the country was alert over mutations which were highly transmittable and caused severe illness.

He further said there was a need to reactivate the economy and livelihoods.

The minister said the hospitals were overwhelmed since Sir Ketumile Teaching Hospital had run out of beds and an ‘over flow’ had to be created,.

Commenting, Bobonong Taolo Lucas said the SoE had not been helpful to the economy, adding that even Business Botswana was against its extension.

The MP said nothing had been planned to resuscitate the economy other than increase Value Added Tax (VAT) and introduction of levies.

MP Lucas said the entertainment industry had been hit together with the alcohol industry but there were no interventions to assist the affected businesses.

He appealed to government to assist the unemployed people.

Kgalagadi North MP, Ms Talitha Monnakgotla, supported the motion, saying its aim was to preserve human life by restricting movement.

She said a number of Batswana had died and this had affected many families across the country.

MP Molebatsi Molebatsi of Mmadinare dismissed reports that the President had used the SoE to become a dictator, saying the President was constantly meeting Cabinet and other government organs.

Meanwhile, Jwaneng-Mabutsane MP Mephato Reatile said the SoE had failed to achieve its intended objectives as the numbers were increasing and the hospitals experienced shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). 

 

He said the SoE had actually led to economic decline saying tenders had also been awarded illegally. ENDS