05 Sep 2019

Prospective parliamentary candidates for Nata/Gweta have emphasised the need to transform the tourism sector for the benefit of Batswana.

The candidates are Mr Polson Majaga of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Mr Joe Linga of Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and Mr Tirelo Kethoilwe of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).

Speaking during a Radio Botswana debate in Nata on Wednesday, former MP, Mr Majaga appealed to the Nata/Gweta constituents to vote for him so that he could continue advocating for developments in their area.

He said an improved tourism sector would attract investors, thereby playing a meaningful role in improving livelihoods.

He said Nata, as a gateway to Kasane and Maun, would benefit from the infrastructural development that would come with the improved tourism sector. 

He assured voters that his party was committed to bringing more developments to the area, adding that construction of a level one primary hospital in Nata had been included in the National Development Plan 11 (NDP 11).

This development, he said, would reduce the long distance travelled by Nata residents to Gweta Primary Hospital or Nyangabgwe hospital in Francistown.

For his part, Mr Linga said when voted to Parliament, he would work with the constituents to bring developments to the area.

He explained that he would do that by establishing structures for different age groups so that all Batswana could become part of the driving force of the economy.

Mr Linga said by empowering Batswana and taking them on board would help improve the economy. 

He added that he would  bring together all concerned parties together to introspect and take a collective decision.

In addition, Mr Linga stated that agriculture needed new strategies to help their area grow economically and enable people to become commercial farmers.

The UDC parliamentary hopeful, Mr Kethoilwe said creating 100 000 jobs for Batswana was possible under his party’s leadership through the utilisation of available resources.

Under the UDC government, he said, research would be undertaken concerning the young unemployed people on how best the skills they had acquired could be fully utilised for them to earn a living.

He said they would also ensure that raw materials from Botswana Ash were turned into finished products in Botswana to create employment instead of exporting them.

Mr Kethoilwe said when voted to Parliament, he would ensure that the A3 road, which connected Maun and Kasane tourism destinations, was fully repaired. ENDS