17 Nov 2022

Jwaneng-Mabutsane Member of Parliament, Mr Mephato Reatile also called for the Competition Authority to carefully regulate some foreign businesses and commercial farmers whom he said engaged in price fixing, colluding to control supply and demand at a particular price in purchasing Batswana produce.

In his response to the State-of- the-Nation Address (SONA) on Wednesday, Mr Reatile said wealthy cattle barons from neighbouring states particularly engage in this practice to the detriment of Batswana pastoralists engaged in livestock production.

He suggested that investments be channelled towards reviving the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) and for the proposed Meat Regulator to be fast-tracked in order to protect small-scale Batswana livestock producers.

Regarding the reopening of BCL, Mr Reatile  said there should be clear timelines for the start of operation of the mine in Selebi Phikwe since a promise had long been made to that effect.

 He said poor construction workmanship done by foreign construction companies awarded multi-million Pula government tenders were costly to government and delayed progress of infrastructural developments.

He expressed concern saying in the recent past there had been a litany of examples of government building projects countrywide that were awarded to foreign companies, completed late, with defects and  overrun of costs.

He said Ghanzi Senior Secondary School and the Dibete Police Station were examples of projects undertaken by Chinese companies at a cost to the public purse that was presented with faulty construction.

Mr Reatile cited pre-independence projects such as Moeng College conceptualised by Bangwato regent the late Kgosi Tshekedi Khama, constructed by regiments of the Ngwato Reserve of Bechuanaland Protectorate (now the Central District) and completed in 1949 as some of the projects that are durable.

“Such projects have stood the test of time because they were constructed by Batswana who genuinely wanted a school for their development, there was no one trying to benefit from the tender awarding process,” Mr Reatile said.

Mr Reatile called on the Ministry of Health to be proactive in dealing with the challenge of the shortage of medicinal drugs in the country’s public health services. 

He said most of the roads in his constituency in villages such as Kokong and Mahotshwane were in a bad condition which he said made it difficult for ambulance services to access ordinary people.

Mr Reatile complained about the lack of water provision in the Jwaneng-Mabutsane area, urging government to urgently address the situation. Ends