03 Nov 2013

President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama will on Monday, Novemebr 4 deliver the State-of-the-Nation Address at the start of the fifth Session of the 10th Parliament. There is no doubt that expectations are high and diverse as Batswana eagerly wait for the national update.

Views from some individuals who shared their expectations with BOPA indicated that, in spite of the global recession, Batswana still expected the President to deliver an inspiring speech in as far as socio-economic development and self-empowerment are concerned.

The mood in the run-up to the address appeared cautious though, perhaps even skeptical so to speak, for many Batswana, including Ms Blessed Ngakane, a vegetable stall operator at the Gaborone bus rank. 

Ms Ngakane (40) is expecting President Khama to address issues around the gap between the rich and the poor.  She said the gap was immense and thus it must be bridged.  She said small entrepreneurs were expected to compete with prominent businesses for tender allocations and meet the same tender requirements.

“This is a disadvantage for the small business operator because of the lack of resources,” she argued, adding that the President should therefore come up with measures geared at making playing field level for a fair game between large scale producers and small to micro entrepreneurs.

Ms Ngakane stated that it would be encouraging for the President to mention that the government will consult with the banking industry to eradicate any bottleneck that hindered SMMEs from qualifying for financial assistance from banks.

Many of SMMEs, she said, did not qualify for financial assistance due to the bank’s high demands that SMMEs could not meet.

She also anticipated that government would not privatise many of its institutions as this might lead to job losses among many Batswana considering that the private sector had not done well in creating mass employment for the large number of people who are either unemployed or underemployed.

She was also hopeful that President Khama would comment on ending the across the board salary increment system in the civil service as it contributed towards widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

Thirty-six-year old Eric Modise, of Matsiloje, was hopeful that the President’s speech will address issues of high petrol prices since the escalating petrol prices are crippling the transport industry.

In the previous State-of-the-Nation Address, President Khama had indicated that “the rapid growing number of vehicles on our roads, which have more than doubled over the past five years, is putting immense strain on the country’s road network.”

Therefore, in this regard, Mr Modise, who is a public transport operator, remained optimistic that the address will touch on improving the country’s road network, particularly in urban areas where traffic congestion is a nightmare. 

He re called that last year, the President said government was in the process of reducing traffic bottlenecks through upgrading of intersections, improved traffic signals and establishing a centralised traffic control system.

“Therefore I strongly believe that the President will give Batswana a progress report on the refurbishment of roads in Gaborone,” the taxi operator opines.

Fruits and Vegetables vendor, Ms Winnie Ndaba from Molapowabojang, said importing her fruits and vegetables from South Africa remained a key challenge to retailors in her business line.

As such, she wished that much of the State-of-the-Nation address will cover issues of the National Policy on Agriculture, which is intended to improve food security in the country.

She added that she was hopeful that much attention will also be paid to the reduction of Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) charges for importation of goods at boarder gates because the 12 percent customs fee they are charged is high.

Ms Nelly Dube, of the Zezuru community, said the President should today address how the government intended to make the land allocation policy fair to the Zezuru community.

“The current policy seems not to favour Bazezuru as many are denied land allocation rights,” he points out. She also called on the President to address the legalisation of currency trading in the black market since it is another way that the Zezurus use to put food on the table.

With much speculation leading to the State-of-the-Nation Address, Batswana remained with bated breath and great anticipation for a comprehensive statement on the country’s developmental journey. Ends