20 May 2026

The P65.6 million Revenue Support Grant (RSG) received by the Tutume District Council for the first quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year will enable the local authority to stabilise its primary operations.

Speaking at the opening of Tutume District Council full council session on Monday, council chairperson Mr Tabona Masole said while the grant would allow the council to carefully stabilise its primary operations, the cost-containment measures in place would be enforced in order to enable the district to continue fulfilling its primary mandate.

Mr Masole said although government remained committed to its developmental interventions, prevailing economic headwinds were slowing down the execution of district plans.

Regarding the ongoing Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis, he said the outbreak continued to pose threat to livelihoods of the farming community and the broader agricultural economy.

He said in order to confront the crisis, the district had hosted the acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture Dr Edwin Dikoloti, adding that engaging with him had brought about a deeper understanding of the current FMD outbreak and the ongoing government interventions.

Nevertheless, Mr Masole said there was hope that collectively the battle for FMD would be won especially if all adhered to preventative measures.

Furthermore, the chairperson highlighted that despite the economic challenges, government has introduced two transformative national frameworks; being the National Development Plan 12 and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP). He said the two transformative national frameworks had the potential to reshape Botswana’s economy and reposition the country for long term, sustainable growth.

The programmes, he added, were deliberately designed to transition Botswana away from an overdependence on diamonds by accelerating diversification across key sectors including agriculture, tourism, mining beneficiation and manufacturing as well as innovation, transport and logistics.

Mr Masole further highlighted that through NDP 12, government was prioritising infrastructure development, village connectivity, water security, modern education system, health services and youth empowerment to ensure that growth reached rural areas and that no Motswana got left behind. 

Simultaneously, he stated that BETP sought to unlock private sector growth, attract investment, stimulate entrepreneurship and support local production, leading to the creation of sustainable jobs for Batswana in particularly the youth.

“These frameworks are not merely policy documents, they represent a national call to action,” he said.

He also said government aimed to restore productivity and strengthen work ethics, which would result in building a resilient economy capable of withstanding global shocks such as fluctuating diamonds markets. ENDS