14 Sep 2022

The spreading abuse of social media in Botswana has been blamed for sowing malice and disharmony in society.

Acting President Slumber Tsogwane lamented in Letlhakane Tuesday that social media, a welcome technological development, was being used by some to cause disharmony.

Mr Tsogwane, who was addressing the Botswana Council of Churches (BCC) triennial general assembly,  urged his audience to retrieve some of the best practices, norms and values Botswana was known for.

“We must not only uproot moral decay and mend societal ills as I earlier alluded to, but we must come to a point of drawing the line on what defines us as a society,” he said. Mr Tsogwane stated that government valued the church’s contribution in moulding people’s characters to become responsible members of society.

He said BCC should enhance life and lay the ground for all people, especially the youth, to harness available opportunities.

Mr Tsogwane noted that President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi had gone on record to challenge the nation to embrace change that would result in prosperity for all.

Through the Reset Agenda, he said, Dr Masisi had presented Botswana with a gift that required self-introspection and self-assessment in relation to each of the agenda’s five priorities.

He said the President had challenged everyone, the church included, to change their mindset.

“It is extremely important to change our mindset, if our goal to attain high income country status is to be achieved. 

This comes with developing capacity for entrepreneurship, eliminating inferiority complex and implementing government and strategic reforms that put citizen economic inclusion at the centre of economic development initiatives,” said Mr Tsogwane.

He said government recognised the role of the church in the national development space.

“We have no doubt about the degree of your national influence, as an institution among your communities and those of whom you touch with your lifelong devotion and service,” he said.

The vice president urged BCC members to elect men and women who would make the organisation  stronger.

For his part, BCC general secretary Reverend Gabriel Tsuaneng, said the plan was to broaden the organisation’s footprint to enable it to participate in the reconstruction of society. 

The aim, he said, was to reconstruct society, especially the youth, whose lives were being destroyed by alcohol and drug abuse.

Reverend Tsuaneng revealed that the organisation planned to build a rehabilitation centre in Letlhakane because the area was experiencing  quite a number of social ills.

Commenting, the area MP Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe implored BCC to restore peace and harmony in the country. The church leadership must take action through their teachings to alert the nation about some people’s intentions of causing unrest in the country, he said. The conference was held under the theme, The Missionary Journey: Unlocking the Potential of Self-sustaining Ministry. Ends