08 Jun 2022

Makgadikgadi, Sengaparile and Makgobokgobo are the proposed names that residents of Tutume and nearby villages want a replacement for the name ‘Botswana’ to be picked from.

Tendering their proposal for an all-encompassing name that they wished Botswana could adopt, they told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution Wednesday that the country’s current name perpetuated tribal discrimination and denied non-Tswana speaking tribes the enjoyment of a sense of belonging that they were entitled to as citizens.

One of the representatives for the five villages of Tutume, Goshwe Matobo, Nswazwi and Makuta Mr Moffat Mabutho told the commission that the adoption of a neutral name would unify the nation even further and would give every citizen a valid reason to draw pride from their being citizens of the country.

“Molao-motheo o ekete o rotloeditswe thata ke di tribal territories ka gore fa o ka lebelela le leina le la Botswana le tlotlomatsa merafe e e buang Setswana.

Mme re ne re kopa gore a go ka seke go nne le go lebelela gore go batlwe leina le le sa sekamelang kwa morafeng ope.

Ba Eswatini ba ne ba kgona go fetola la bone, ka jalo re dumela gore le rona seo re ka se kgona.”     To Mr Mabutho, Eswatini having done it was indication that Botswana too could successfully implement a name change.

“Give this country a neutral name; be it Makgobokgobo, or Makgadikgadi, or Sengaparile,” he said.

Another representative Mr Edmont Moabi shared how residents also wished for the law to be amended to disallow automatic succession to the presidency. Their desire, he explained, was that whenever the presidency fell vacant, an election should be called in three months to replace him/her; with the vice president having been the interim head of state in that period. Tutume resident Mr Tobokani George requested that all public officers be employed on contract basis to address issues of poor work ethic and poor performance.

The officers’ contracts he said, should then be renewed once one was deemed to have performed their duties beyond reproach.

“Batho bagaetsho ba ba hirilweng permanent and pensionable ga ba dire ka botswapelo.

Jaanong ke eletsa gore gongwe molao motheo  o supe gore batho ba hirwe ka konteraka, mme fa a ka seke tiro ya gagwe e supe tswelelopele a bo a ka suta ga tsena yo mongwe,” Mr George said in summing up his submission.

Another resident, Mr Ronny Lowani pointed out that there was critical need to enhance Botswana’ security and guarantee the country’ sovereignty.

Alleging that Botswana’s borders were currently porous, he suggested that a paramilitary force be set up and its troops be deployed along the borderline to patrol it day and night.

On an unrelated issue, he asked for politics to be infused within the schools’ curriculum right from primary school level; an act that he said would breed a generation of politically-enlightened individuals who would then be in a position to participate actively in the electoral processes as well as in the enrichment of Botswana’s democratic ideals.

Mr Victor Malumbela on the one hand suggested that the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) and the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) be either merged or one be disbanded to prevent the overlapping of their mandates.

He explained thus; “A go nne le lephata fela le le lengwe e ka nna la DCEC kana la DIS gore go seka ga nna le dikgotlhakgotlhano.

Gompieno o tlaa utlwa gotwe DIS e ema fa, mme e bo e re DCEC yone e tla e bo e bua se sele.” On behalf of TOTUMA arable commercial farmers association, a farmers’ grouping, Mr Edison Woto proposed that the constitution should facilitate farmers so that they would play their part in edging the nation towards the realisation of its food security aspirations.

He said Chapter 2 of the constitution, in which citizens’ fundamental rights were enshrined, had left out those of farmers which revolved around access to serviced land.

“We have two basic rights that we want the constitution to acknowledge and protect.

We want the right to serviced land installed with basic infrastructure; the second right is the right to food security.

It should be the responsibility of government to ensure that citizens eat healthy,” Mr Woto said, adding that once facilitated by law to undertake their farming activities with no impediment, farmers would in turn help government guarantee citizens’ access to locally-produced food of quality standards. ENDS