01 Dec 2022

Government has displayed compassion towards the vulnerable within the society, Serowe North Member of Parliament, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse has said.

Marking his contribution to the State-of-the-Nation Address, Mr Autlwetse, also Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said whenever Batswana were faced with economic challenges government was quick to respond with support initiatives.

He cited reduction of value-added tax (VAT) from 14 to 12 per cent as a temporary measure to cushion Batswana from the financial burden emanating from the aftermath of the economic challenges brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Autlwetse said through government agricultural initiatives such as KgomoKhumo, livestock production could increase and attract the younger generation. 

He sounded his support for the protectionist measures of banning vegetable imports, saying this would lead to improved horticultural production locally.

Praising the large-scale Selebi Phikwe citrus production as a good initiative, Mr Autlwetse called for Batswana to be engaged in the citrus fruit value chain such as the production of fruit juice and other associated products.

Mr Autlwetse said the process of upgrading sub-districts to full district level was underway. 

He said the ministry had considered factors such as distance from the sub-district to the district capital and the presence of a rural administration centre to start the process at 11 areas including Mogoditshane, Tutume, Letlhakeng and Boteti.

Adding his contribution to the debate, Selebi Phikwe East Member of Parliament, Mr Kgoberego Nkawana said residents in his constituency were concerned about environmental waste. 

He said plastic waste was of particular concern and called for government to make effort to eliminate the use of plastic.

Mr Nkawana said Selebi Phikwe had a strong potential for tourism, but lack of an international airport and poor road network connecting the town to neighbouring South Africa undermined that possibility.

He said dams such as Dikgatlhong and Thune in the vicinity of the town had the potential for local businesses developing such as the running of campsites and canoe rides, but the Selebi Phikwe Economic Development Unit had not responded to tender bids from citizen entrepreneurs.

Mr Nkawana further said efforts should be made to sell unoccupied BCL houses in Selebi Phikwe to Batswana working in the town, with priority given to those who had previously worked for the mine.

He also said he believed government had not invested enough in making the country self-sufficient in energy, proposing that citizens should be supported to engage in solar energy harnessing and windmills setting up, which he said would improve power generation for people in the countryside and add surplus into the national grid. Ends