The Botswana National Front Women League (BNFWL) has called on Finance Minister Peggy Serame to appraise the nation about the results of an audit on various government ministries.
BNFWL publicity secretary Katlo Ditshotlo indicated that there are some major challenges that are facing the country which can be attributed to corruption and misuse of funds by the state and its agencies.
She said their expectation was “a full account of the expenses and the revenue of the country from Ms. Peggy Serame and to see issues of concern being prioritized.”
In the previous year, Ditshotlo said, Serame had alluded that there shall audit ministries in attempts to nip corruption at the bud and ensure that there is efficient use of state funds by different ministries and organizations.
“Before any allocation of funds, we wish to see Ms. Serame sensitizing the nation on how many ministries were audited, by which body and what was the outcome of the audit,” said Ditshotlo.
She said with the country already running on a deficit it is about time the tax payer’s money is accounted for.
“There have been a number of projects that were enacted last year, and some were enacted in the previous year which are unending and the government continues to fund them,” said Ditshotlo. She there are quite a number of water projects going on around the country and some have been going on for years and they still fail to bear fruit as a significant number of places around the country have been deprived of water for years.
“This problem is no longer just affecting the rural areas but has now started affecting prime areas of the country including Gaborone. We therefore seek to hear clarity from the honorable minister as to how much has already been spent on the projects and how much more are they willing to pump into these projects and when will they be completed,” said Ditshotlo.
Further, Ditshotlo said, “we expect to see a bigger portion of the tax payers’ money being dedicated to the procurement of medicinal supplies and the betterment of state owned medical facilities.” She said there has been a shortage of medicinal supplies in most if not all state owned clinics and hospitals leading to some succumbing to ailments that could have been easily managed through antibiotics.
Ditshotlo indicated that with the recently released JCE results, “we are looking to the government to map out a plan for these children and ensure that they are not left to be idle in the streets and end up resorting to becoming the criminals.”
She said there is a need to further address issues surrounding the Ministry of Education, which include the lack of stationery for students especially in rural areas, lack of staff housing for teachers, failure to pay teaching staff and a plethora of other problems surrounding the ministry and basic education alike.
“The women’s league of the Botswana National Front wishes to reiterate that they fully support the increment of student allowances to meet the harshness of the current economic climate,” said Ditshotlo.
She also said it is about time the government took to prioritizing agricultural projects which are not aimed at home consumption but for commercial use to help in attaining food self-sufficiency and economic growth. “Further, we wish to express grave disappointment in how the tourism sector in Botswana is mismanaged to a point where it remains stagnant and doesn’t bear much revenue for the country as it potentially could. We wish to see a significant amount set aside to assist people in prime tourist areas such as Kasane and Maun grow their business and turn them into streams of revenue for the government,” said Ditshotlo.
