Dikgosi endorse Molale’s bid to increase MPs
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Members of Ntlo ya Dikgosi have passed a constitutional amendment by cabinet to increase specially elected legislators, ministers and Assistant ministers.
Following a flammable debate in the proposed constitutional amendment to increase the said threshold of nominated legislators from 4 to 6, the house agreed to pass the amendments.
The voting exercise saw 16 giving the move a thumbs up while 14 voted against it. Some also queried the model of voting which is not secret citing intimidation by authorities who oversee dikgosi.
There is wide belief that some of the dikgosi may have been feeling intimidated with the presence of Minister of Local Government and Rural Government, Botlogile Tshireletso as well as Assistant Minister in the Office of the President, Phillip Makgalemele.
However according to the Chairman of Ntlo ya dikgosi, Kgosi Puso Gaborone of Tlokweng the voting exercise went well though it was not through secret ballot. He said it has been their tradition as the law allows for such arrangement.
Conversely, Kgosi Thabo Maruje said the way they debate and vote in Ntlo ya Dikgosi leaves a lot to be desired.
“We believe that voting should be secret because some don’t have the confidence and rather fear that if they vote in a certain way it might affect them somehow negatively going forward.”
The Minister of local Government and Rural development has the power to de-recognise a kgosi.
Meanwhile, in the amendment debate in the house to increase legislators Maruje set the context to say that politically, Botswana is going through a transitional process. He said the political competition has become very tight and competitive and he therefore does not support the Bill in the political context.
He also maintained that the minister should say what impact it is going to bring in terms of value chain desired and cost implications, and also how it will increase democracy.
He observed that government through the World Bank has advised Botswana government to decrease public service but at the same time it wants to increase the burden by 2 more specially elected legislators.
He was also concerned that almost 98% of Bills passed at parliament do not go through proper consultation particularly at the kgotla.
“We need to seriously introspect, we can’t increase MP’s, time will come, we have just come to the end of vision 2016, which is also our golden jubilee of 50 years of independence so let us not pre-empt what is coming.”
According to Kgosi Sekgoma Moipolai of North East region the increase of SEMP may lead to erosion of our core values of democracy. “It may be used to apply desired interest of those applying it and therefore affecting the essence of democracy,” he claimed.
He added that at least the government should be thinking of increasing constituencies as they will be increasing representation of the people. “I have a fear that instead of strengthening democracy they are weakening it. Therefore I am unable to support it.”
Kgosi Tshipe Tshipe of Mahalapye region who supported the amendments said he agrees with the Bill but cautioned that it should be done and executed as the reasons it was designed for.
On the other hand Kgosi Moeti Monyamane of Kgalagadi North sustained that what Batswana are asking for is a thorough constitutional review so it is what he calls for as well and therefore “I cannot agree with the Bill”.
He asked where the money will be coming from to pay the 2 SEMP and highlighted that where there is no political will government likes to use the phrase “when funds permit” but seems it is not using it this time as they are determined to pass the Bill no matter what.
Another Ntlo Ya Dikgosi member Kgosi Galeakanye Modise of Tswapong opposed the Bill citing that they are not convinced by reasons given by government to increase numbers as all “skills and expertise” are there in parliament, like Judges, lawyers, teachers, economists etc.
He said if anything the minister could be coming with a Bill to “abolish” the SEMP altogether. He said as Ntlo Ya Dikgosi they are mere advisors to government as it appears the government has already decided to pass the Bill.
“Taking into consideration that public servants salaries were not increased because there is no money, so now why increase SEMP as there will be financial implications or burden as well?” he rhetorically asked.
Bakwena paramount chief, Kgosi Kgari Sechele urged government to bring trust to the people by doing as they say. “We should see those skills and expertise that is deficient in parliament and society should see as such. If it doesn’t happen, we will use it to gauge if we continue to vote for them.”
When presenting the Bill at Ntlo Ya Dikgosi Assistant Minister in the Office of the President, Phillip Makgalemele stated that the economy of Botswana continues to grow in size and complexity.
“Therefore, the increase in number of specially elected members will provide a window of opportunity for the National Assembly, and by extension cabinet, to increase the number of members with the necessary expertise and skills to manage a modern and complex economy.”
He also said over the years, the constitution has been amended to increase the number of elected legislators and the number has started at 1 specially elected MP.
Some of the notable politicians who have benefitted from the special nomination dispensation include former presidents, Sir Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae. The first woman to enter parliament, Gaositwe Chiepe was also specially elected.
According to Makgalemele, ministers have a burden and it may hurt the economy and thus the need to increase SEMP, but he reiterated government employment freeze will continue.
He asserted that the intentions of the Bill are good and government remains open minded.
WeekendPost has it on good authority that the constitutional amendment Bill was hatched by the Shoshong legislator who then convinced his colleagues at a ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) parliamentary caucus towards the close of last year and they gave the move thumbs up.
The Bill was later published on the government gazette dated 5 February 2016 by Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Eric Molale.
The Bill is expected to pass into amended law without any hinges as the ruling BDP which banks on its majority in parliament looks determined. Already few names have been dropped for possible special nomination dispensation including BDP Secretary General Botsalo Ntuane and maverick ex-legislator, Robert Masitara amongst others.
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Local tennis team upbeat ahead of Billie Jean King cup
With almost two weeks until the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup, which will be staged in Kenya from June 12-17, 2023, the Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) ladies’ team coach, Ernest Seleke, is optimistic about reaching greater heights.
Billie Jean King Cup, or the BJK Cup, is a premier international team competition in women’s tennis, launched as the Federation Cup to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The BJK Cup is the world’s largest annual women’s international team sports competition in terms of the number of nations that compete.
The finals will feature 12 teams (Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Seychelles, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) competing in the four round-robin groups of three. The four group winners will qualify for the semifinals, and the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup will be crowned after the completion of the knockout phase.
Closer to home, the BW Tennis team is comprised of Thato Madikwe, Leungo Monnayoo, Chelsea Chakanyuka, and Kelebogile Monnayoo. However, according to Seleke, they have not assembled the team yet as some of the players are still engaged.
“At the moment, we are depending on the players and their respective coaches in terms of training. However, I will meet up with Botswana-based players in the coming week, while the United States of America (USA) based player Madikwe will probably meet us in Kenya. Furthermore, Ekua Youri and Naledi Raguin, who are based in Spain and France respectively, will not be joining us as they will be writing their examinations,” said Seleke.
Seleke further highlighted the significance of this competition and how competitive it is. “It is a massive platform for our players to showcase their talent in tennis, and it is very competitive as countries target to get promoted to the world categories where they get to face big nations such as Spain, France, USA, and Italy. Though we are going to this tournament as underdogs because it is our second time participating, I’m confident that the girls will put in a good showing and emerge with results despite the odds,” highlighted Seleke.
Quizzed about their debut performance at the BJK Cup, he said, “I think our performance was fair considering the fact that we were newbies. We came third in our group after losing to North Macedonia and South Africa. We went on to beat Uganda, then Kenya in the playoffs. Unfortunately, we couldn’t play Burundi due to heavy rainfall and settled for the position 9/10,” he said.
For her part, team representative Leungo Monnayoo said they are working hard as they aim to do well at the tourney. “The preparations for the tourney have long begun because we practice each and every day. We want to do well, hence we need to be motivated. Furthermore, I believe in my team as we have set ourselves a big target of coming home with the trophy,” she said.
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Pep Stores donates sanitary towels to Popagano JSS
The Guidance and Counseling unit at Popagano Junior Secondary School received a donation of 790 sanitary towels from Pep stores on Thursday.
When presenting the donation, Mareledi Thebeng, the Dinokaneng Area Manager, highlighted their belief in giving back to the community, as their existence depends on the communities they serve. Thebeng pointed out that research indicates one in four girls miss school every day due to the lack of basic necessities like sanitary towels. Therefore, as a company, they strive to assist in alleviating this situation. She expressed hope that this donation would help ensure uninterrupted learning for girls.
Upon receiving the donation on behalf of the students, Charity Sambire, the President of the Student Representative Council, expressed her gratitude. Sambire specifically thanked Pep Store for their generous gift, speaking on behalf of the students, especially the girl child.
She conveyed their sincere appreciation for Pep Store’s compassion and quoted the adage, “Blessed is the hand that gives.” Sambire expressed the students’ hope for Pep Stores’ prosperity, enabling them to continue supporting the students. As a gesture of gratitude, the students pledged to excel academically.
During her speech, Motlalepula Madome, the Senior Teacher in Guidance and Counseling, highlighted that many students at the school come from disadvantaged backgrounds where parents struggle to provide basic necessities. Consequently, some students miss school when they experience menstruation due to this lack.
Madome emphasized the significance of the donation in preventing the girl child from missing lessons and its potential to improve the school’s overall results. She expressed the school’s gratitude and expressed a desire for continued support from Pep Stores.
Popagano Junior Secondary School, situated in the Okavango District, holds the second position academically in the North West region. Despite its location, the school has been dedicated to achieving excellence since 2017
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Botswana misses out critical PAP committee meeting
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) committee on gender, family, youth and people with disability in its sitting considered, adopted and recommended to the plenary session the preliminary report on the framework for the model law on gender equality.
According to the last week’s media release from PAP which is sitting with its various committees until June 2nd, the committee is following up the PAP initiative to draw up a model law on gender equality to enable national governments to harmonize, modernize and standardize their legislations to address local needs is set to be discussed in Plenary.
However, what is concerning is the fact that Botswana which is a member state missed the deliberations. Kgosi Mosadi Seboko who sat in the committee representing Botswana has since been ejected by parliament and this is a huge blow for a nation that is still battling equity and gender balance.
“Although PAP has no legislative powers it makes model laws for member states to adopt. PAP also develops protocols to be ratified by countries. The input of countries at Committee state is extremely critical. It now means the voice of Botswana is missing the discussions leading up to development of protocols or model laws,” said one of Botswana’s representative at PAP Dr. Kesitegile Gobotswang who is attending the current session.
While Botswana is missing, the committee meeting took place on the sidelines of the Sixth PAP second ordinary Session being held under the African Union Theme of the Year for 2023, “The Year of AfCFTA: Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area” in Midrand, South Africa and will run up to 2 June 2023. Chairperson of the Committee, Hon Mariam Dao-Gabala expressed satisfaction with preliminary processes undertaken so far towards the formulation of the Model Law,” a release from the PAP website reads.
“The law should be suitable to all countries whatever the predominant culture or religion is. The aim is to give an opportunity to women to participate in the economic, political and social development of the continent. Women are not well positioned and face a lot of obstacles. We are introducing the idea of equity in the Law because we cannot talk about equality without equity,” said Hon Mariam Dao-Gabala in the press statement.
The release has stated that among issues to be covered by the Model Law is the migratory movements of women. The Committee proffered that this has to be addressed at the continental level to ensure that migrant women enjoy all their rights and live with dignity in their destination country. The members of the Gender Committee undertook consultations to consolidate the contributions of the various stakeholders that will be the logical framework format for the Model Law.