15 Nov 2023

 Government is prepared to go to great lengths, to nurture, protect and empower adolescents and young citizens of Botswana.

These are young people in the 15 to 24 age bracket, who constitute the majority whom the nation hopes would in future serve as leaders and drive the country’s development agenda. It is for that reason that government launched the National Commitment for Adolescent and Young People’s Wellbeing in Botswana, the aim of which is to address their needs.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Dimajwe yesterday, President  Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said some older men instead of protecting adolescent and young women, took advantage of them, fully aware that some were from disadvantaged backgrounds.

President Masisi said what was even more concerning was that such men failed to protect themselves nor the young women they were dating, as the HIV statistics indicated that almost 25 per cent of that group, especially females in Botswana was HIV positive.

Perpetrators in most cases, President Masisi said were not their age mates but older men. “Borre iketleleng bana, bana iketleleng bagolo,” President Masisi said, calling for older men to desist from being involved with younger women and for younger women to stop going for older men.

Children should be allowed to grow up and get an education was President Masisi’s plea to the nation, adding that such inter-generational relationships were the reason behind declining school results.

He said government encouraged hygiene, good health, and access to education and said though there might be some challenges in attaining such, government was doing all in its power to provide for Batswana and it was for the nation to use what was availed to them, to develop themselves.

President Masisi also talked about the elephant hunting ban that was imposed in 2014 and lifted in 2019. He said the ban resulted in an increased number of the animals and human-wildlife conflicts.

Government, he said had no intention to kill elephants en masse, but instead came up with a programme that catered for solar powered fencing at the ploughing fields. He said Batswana were at liberty to protect themselves against threat posed by elephants.ENDS