Africa-Press – Botswana. Government will continue to empower locals despite resistance from some influential business community.
Member of Parliament for Gaborone South, Mr Dumezweni Mthimkhulu said this when addressing White City residents during a consultative meeting recently.
“Resistance from some influential business owners creates artificial shortage of some services and goods in the country,” Mr Mthimkhulu said.
Nonetheless, he said government was taking necessary steps to address challenges brought about by the objections to local empowerment initiatives.
He attributed the objections to the introduction of the Economic Inclusion Act and Public Procurement Act, which he said were aimed at tilting the economic scale towards Batswana.
Government’s move, he said, appeared to have unsettled local business owners.
On other issues, Mr Mthimkhulu told White City residents that government acknowledged shortage of employment opportunities in the country, adding, however, that the economic empowerment laws were aimed at creating employment opportunities.
“It would not be possible for government to employ everyone. So government is creating an environment for the private sector to thrive and create more employment opportunities.
Government is also constrained to employ more people due to the bloated civil service,” he said.
For his part, Gaborone City Council deputy town clerk, Mr Olebile Mafala said the council was faced with budgetary constraints and non-delivery by contractors, hence the potholes on the roads as well as litter collection challenges.
Mr Mafala said other challenges that besieged the city included theft of streetlight cables, illegal dumping of litter and poor drainage systems.
Regarding noise pollution from business entities, Mr Mafala said the council was imposing penalties on the perpetrators, adding, ‘the council will, however, not be quick to close businesses. Closing will be the last resort.”
Assistant Superintendent Kabelo Lerothodi from the Botswa Police, expressed concern about the high incidents of rape, defilement, threat to kill and noise polution in the area.
“These incidents are a concern, but we will continue to bring perpetrators to book,” he said, adding, however, that he was also concerned about some unreported incidents.
Meanwhile, some residents complained about shortage of medicines in public health facilities, illicit drugs on the streets, poor water reticulation and non-illuminating streetlights.
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