Africa-Press – Botswana. Batswana have been called upon to exercise patience as the government is working round the clock to breathe life into the ailing economy.
Member of Parliament for Francistown South, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi, said this when addressing a kgotla meeting in Somerset West ward on August 19.
He assured residents that several austerity measures and pieces of legislation had been enacted to inject life into the struggling economy.
The Value Added Tax Amendment Bill, the Digital Services Bill, and the Cannabis Bill were among the foremost pieces of legislation that were debated and passed by the winter Parliament.
The bills, according to Mr Mmolotsi, targeted a range of economic, technological as well and adjustment of tax frameworks to regulate emerging digital industries to derive the much-needed revenue for the country.
“The economy is in a bad state due to the zero demand and sales of the natural diamond that had been dealt a hard blow by synthetics,” he said, expressing hope that things would improve for the better, given the measures put in place.
He said, for instance, that the government had incorporated direct sales of diamonds into the traditional arrangement of selling via auctions and contracts, something he said had the potential to augment sales and earn revenue for the government.
Additionally, Mr Mmolotsi, who is the Minister of Environment and Tourism, said concerted efforts had been put in place to ensure supplies of drugs at health facilities. He cited the recent adoption of a motion calling on the government to prioritise the country’s health crisis through the mobilisation of funds.
On other issues, Mr Mmolotsi was hopeful that the envisaged opening of mines in the city of Francistown would help create employment for the local masses. He relayed that the government would, through the Employment Bill that was deemed progressive by parliamentarians during the recent session, help promote decent work, safeguard workers’ rights and improve their welfare and keep at bay wanton disregard and violation of workers’ rights by some employers.
Commenting, Somerset West residents decried the gross disservices they suffered at the hands of the Francistown labour office. They also raised concerns about growing incidents of crime and mayhem that emanated from certain drinking holes in the location.
Some of the residents welcomed the envisaged opening of mines and called for transparency once recruitment started.
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