26 Feb 2018

The Alliance for Progressives (AP), an offshoot of the Botswana Movement for Democracy, on February 24 held its Francistown regional launch to introduce the party to the public in the second city.

The event, which started in the morning with a motorcade, culminated in a rally at the famed Chedu Choga Freedom Square and was attended by locals and AP members from across the country.

The launch started in a low keynote, but improved as the day grew older as the threatening rains which had been falling subsided.

Addressing the rally, AP leader, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe said his party wanted to offer a new vision and hope to the country. He said they would give priority to challenges currently bedeviling the country.

He explained that the AP envisions a Botswana where leaders were held accountable and corruption was abhorred.

He highlighted that under his progressive party, government would emphasise education with production by providing students with technical skills so that they could create their own jobs.

“We should move in the direction of countries such as Mexico where students leave school armed with practical skills for survival,” he said.

The Alliance for Progressives, he noted, would empower the finance committee in Parliament to provide oversight on how government funds were utilised for the betterment of citizens.

Mr Gaolathe also decried the number of unmonitored funds which were operating outside the budget process, saying they provide a breeding ground for corruption and maladministration.

In addition, he asserted that his party’s government would invest in hospitals and eliminate a situation where one teacher oversees 70 students as was currently the case.

Furthermore, he promised his audience that under the stewardship of AP, government would exploit the mineral wealth of the country for the benefit of locals, and also exploit the natural gas reserves in Mmashoro to improve the country’s energy supply.

His belief, he said, was that come 2019, Botswana would be under a new progressive government.

He pleaded with residents of Francistown to put faith on his new party if they want their economic livelihoods to improve.

The party’s vice leader, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi informed the audience that the new party was going to expedite the time one takes to get a residential plot, which he said currently stands at 23 years in Francistown.

He also added that they were concerned by the lack of medication in health facilities, and added that if given a chance to govern, they would revolutionise health care in the country.

Mr Mmolotsi explained that there was need for fresh thinking in Botswana’s political landscape.

He praised his leader, Mr Gaolathe as a visionary leader. In addition, he said the AP was more than willing to partner with all like-minded organisations to deliver a better Botswana come 2019.

“Today’s event is an opportunity to introduce you to the party that can deliver prosperity to Batswana,” he promised.  Alliance for Progressives national chairperson, Major General Pius Mokgware explained that the party believed that there was need for progressive ideas to fight poverty by creating an enabling environment for youth owned businesses to thrive. He urged residents of Francistown to register in large numbers to usher in change in the 2019 elections. ENDS