A ‘street-level’ view of the budget
Otlarongwa Kgweetsi - Phatsimo Kapeng | Monday February 12, 2024 06:00
Lettie Olesitse, 27“What I have noticed with us Batswana, is that there are certain sectors that we pay heed to.
“For example let’s say there is a meeting about tourism at Riverwalk Mall, only a few will attend. It will be mostly those who are interested in tourism unlike where there is a beauty pageant held and several artists are performing like ATI.
“In that case, many people are going to be there.”
“In Botswana, we value entertainment mostly, rather than focusing on different sectors and it’s all about mindset change.”
“If as a country we are not willing to change, how do we expect the government to consider our queries?”
“So, I feel that we as a country prioritise entertainment instead of focusing on other sectors that benefit us at large.”
“Before we blame the government, we must look at ourselves to evaluate what we are doing to bring change.”
Karabo Mcdonald, 23
“I believe that the Ministry of Youth, [Gender] Sport and Culture deserves more financial assistance looking at the fact that small soccer clubs are struggling.
“I’m a soccer player and we haven’t played much games or entered any tournaments so far because we don’t have funds to register for games simply because we don’t have sponsors. Also we don’t have enough money to pay our players or to buy team kits.”
“So I feel that the government must also consider small players out there in all different parts of Botswana and not prioritise big teams. Instead they must balance the equation.”
“Nowadays most youngsters make a living through soccer hence why I feel the need that the government should consider the sports sector mostly. In that way, the rate of unemployment will reduce.”
Daniel Tukula, 23
“Education must be given first priority in Botswana. I feel that the funds allocated to the Ministry of Education are not enough, and the government must consider the issue of cut points because most students get left behind because teachers and top authorities focus more on theories instead of practicals. For instance, there are subjects like Design and Technology, Art, Home Economics in which they should focus more on practicals because not everyone is good in theory compared to practicals hence why the government must let the students focus more on what they are good at.”
“A lot of children don’t go to senior schools because of cut points. So, that should be taken into consideration because several people are making a living out of their passion or interest in arts. So imagine if practicals were prioritised like theories, how many children will be at tertiary schools.”
Michael Tsholofelo Michael, 27
“The government must balance the equation by considering the needs of its citizens. At the moment everything is expensive (rent, transport fees, grocery, water and electricity bills). So instead of always increasing salaries for government employees, they must also consider us especially the small businesses and private sector.”
“We used to pay P5 for minibuses, but now we pay P7 and when the government increases the transport fares they don’t look at the good and bad side of doing. So as long as the government employees are not complaining everything seems normal. But then we as the private sector, we struggle more because there is no one who advocates for us.”
Naledi Bapaletswe, 24
“Health comes before anything. In order to have a productive country, we have to be healthy so the Ministry of Health has to be considered foremost. “Look at the situation in our country at the moment, the death rate is increasing almost every week, because there is shortage of resources like manpower. If you go to a government health facility, sometimes you will be told that the ‘doctor is only alone and at the moment, so he can’t assist you’. “Even the nurses are few, if you are to go for X-rays or full body screening you are told that there are no machines or they are out of service.” “We have lost our relatives, friends and so on because healthwise the government is negligent. Right now, BoMRA has stopped the importation of certain supplements and they advise us not to use traditional herbs or medicines. But then the Western medicine is not enough for the whole country at government health facilities, unless you buy medication at pharmacies which are also addictive even though they are not that effective.”Oratile Letshwenyo, 39“Our unemployment rate is high, especially for youngsters. We have many graduates who are idling at home because there are no jobs. Nowadays, we just take any vacant job that we come across because we believe that as long as you can pay bills and your children don’t starve, it’s better than nothing. But the case in point is that government allocates money to different sectors, but instead of using it to advance services needed by the society they raise salaries for government employees.” “I have a child who is in Grade Six and she has been performing well from Grade One, but now her grades are falling because there is lack of motivation from teachers. Also the syllabus is outdated.”