Sylvester Wappitso
13 November 2008
Francistown — The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) has launched intensive campaigns in Francistown to boost its chances in the area in next year's general elections.
The BCP fancies its chances in Francistown and is staging rallies to win council and parliamentary seats.
Speaking at one of the rallies last weekend, the BCP council candidate for Boikhutso Ward, Onkokame Mosweu regretted that Batswana continue to live in abject poverty in a rich country. He expressed concern that there is a high rate of unemployment in the country. "This country is rich in diamonds but almost everything is exported.
Copper from Selebi-Phikwe is exported while manufacturing industries can be set up to process it and create employment. Let us borrow a leaf from Zimbabwe. Before the current woes, they showed that the leather tannery business was a viable economic enterprise. We used to buy leather products there," Mosweu said.
Former Francistown South legislator Vain Mamela urged his campaign team not to waste time copying their ruling party counterparts who he said engage in politics of personal attacks.
"We are not here to assassinate anybody's character, our educational backgrounds have been questioned but we remain vibrant to articulate vital issues of concern, Wynter Mmolotsi (Mamela's ruling party opponent) and his team should learn that good education is not associated with good leadership. The world is abound with testimonies about men who have qualifications from credible institutions but fail to lead their countries well," Mamela said.
"Many developments still lag behind though NDP 9 is ending. More than 18,000 applicants still await land allocation. People should be encouraged to build themselves houses.
Renting does not provide a long-term solution to the problem of housing. Investors need land to operate from and financial institutions like banks and organisations like CEDA require land security to finance projects," he said.
Mamela added that the time has come for Francistown to have another senior secondary school because Mater Spei and Francistown Senior Secondary Schools are not enough. "We should engage the government so that a new school is built or upgrade a Junior Secondary School to a senior level," he said.
He lamented that Botswana has not exploited the cattle farming industry fully. "We are a cattle baron nation yet we import shoes. A sound agriculture programme can supply industries with raw materials. Work employment opportunities would be created as factories and firms process by-products from the cattle industry. It does not matter whether it is ARAP or ISPAAD, it is not all in a name, what matters is a sound plan of action and how such a programme is to be effected because not everyone is a farmer," he said.
He condemned the transportation of ballot boxes to counting centres for tallying because it violates the SADC election protocol.
He said that the squabbles that characterise the ruling party primary elections are discouraging because they might re-occur in state institutions. "They cry foul play and claim cheating Madomkraga. They say voter trafficking is rampant and it appears truthful since we recall a scenario whereupon a certain BDP politician brought along more than 20 people whom it was claimed lived in a three-roomed SHHA house," he said.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Mmegi/The Reporter. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
