08 Sep 2014

Botswana Congress Party (BCP) officials have urged residents of Shashe West constituency to vote for their party in the general elections slated for October 24.

Speaking at the launch of the party’s prospective parliamentary, Mr Motlhaleemang Moalosi and nine council candidates in Borolong on September 6, Dr Phillip Bulawa said all the prospective candidates should be voted as a way of taking the party into power.

He said the BCP was ready lead as the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) had failed Batswana in many ways.

Dr Bulawa cited that the recent four per cent adjustment of the public service salaries while negotiations were still on-going at the bargaining council was one of the many examples that the BDP government did not respect the rule of law and failing Batswana.

Dr Bulawa who is also Tati West prospective parliamentary candidate said when BCP is in power; Ipelegeng will be turned in to a public works and utilized to maintain roads and other government infrastructure.

He noted that the current arrangement of Ipelegeng was an abuse to Batswana as they were paid P2.80 per hour instead of P4.20 per hour as stipulated in the labour legislation.

Francistown West prospective parliamentary candidate, Dr Habaudi Hobona implored Batswana to be assist in keeping the country free Ebola.

Dr Hobona who is also BCP’s advisor on health issues said she warned the government not to only screen travellers but to also conduct active surveillance on them.
She explained that she advised the government to instruct all hotels to have a questionnaire through which all the visitors it would be established which areas the visitors travelled to in the last three months.

On other issues, Dr Hobona said BDP government was leaving big companies to pay locals salaries that were below the living wage.
Nkange prospective parliamentary candidate, Dr Nevah Tshabang said BCP was determined to win Shashe West constituency.

He said BCP has better plans for the area citing that once it is voted into power it will make the Tutume Sub District a fully-fledged district.

Dr Tshabang said the government has failed to introduce the use of other languages at schools and in the national television but Chinese was taught at the University of Botswana and there were some Korean programmes aired on the national television.

On the unity of opposition parties, he noted that BCP is a good example of doing that as it united the Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) and unlike the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) it has never had any court issues resulting from the merger.

For his part, Mr Moalosi said once elected he will create employment in the constituency. He explained that in his quest to create employment he will register a trust in the constituency.

He said the trust will focus on utilising the existing natural resources in each village to generate income citing that in Sebina, the river sand from Shashe and Nyamambisi river will be used to mould bricks and paving blocks, in Marapong the local dam will be utilized for fisheries while in Nshakashobgwe the state free hold land will be used for dairy farming.
ZHe said another vision that he has for the constituency is that of growing industrial hemp because research indicated that in the UK a hectare of hemp generates profit equivalent to P15 000.00.

He said since hemp has over 25 uses processing industries will also be set in Shashe West to create employment opportunities locally making the constituency the country’s net employer. ENDS