A step in the right direction

The Monitor Editor | Wednesday December 4, 2024 06:00

It has only been a month since the newly elected government, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), took power, and there are already a lot of changes. Across different ministries, ministers are hard at work. Following heavy rainfall and storms that hit Francistown recently, the Minister of State Presidency, Moeti Mohwasa, made a commitment that government will assist those affected by the heavy rains. Mohwasa, when addressing the media in Francistown on Sunday afternoon, said the government will spend close to P700,000 to assist those who were recently affected by heavy storm rains. Mohwasa told reporters that the government would assist those whose houses and businesses were affected by the rains. He further explained: “For those who are aware, our pledge manifesto calls for assisting individuals in obtaining land and decent housing. As a nation, we have failed to provide suitable housing for the people. Thus in this situation deteriorating houses are unable to withstand severe weather'.

This is definitely a good start that will go a long way in addressing challenges faced by many Batswana in different areas. Public vendors for a long time have been one sector that is completely neglected. They are some of the people who have suffered the most due to natural disasters, but previously, most of them used to dust themselves off and find ways of moving on.

Some as the case would unfortunately end up failing to get up again, worsening the level of poverty in their homes.

There isn't doubt that many families in Botswana are struggling, and even some who their homes were blown away by the heavy winds wouldn't otherwise be able to fix their houses before the next rains if not for government intervention.

The new government is definitely on the right track, and awaking that hope that many had lost a long time ago. All the newly elected ministers seem to have hit the ground running. It is promising, and indeed, as Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe usually says, 'it is beginning to look like a new Botswana!'

It is our hope that government will continue to ‘fix’ things at this same speed and not lose momentum somewhere along the way.

There seems to be a lot of transparency in most of the things that are done. Press conferences from different ministries have become the order of the day. Keep up the good work! We are watching you!