At a period of time that the private sector faces ruin on account of the government’s electronic payment system, President Mokgweetsi Masisi somehow managed to talk about a “private sector export-led growth” in his 2023 state-of-the-nation address. As a matter of fact, a 12-paragraph section in his address is sub-titled as such.
Yesterday (November 11) marked the third month that the Government Accounting and Budgeting System (GABS) has not been working properly. In a country in which the government is the largest provider of services and products, the net result has been that a private sector that largely relies on the government for survival, is facing ruin. Perhaps the most dramatic illustration of this crisis was in September when workers of a company contracted to do cleaning services at the Princess Marina Referral Hospital went on strike over unpaid salaries. In a press statement, the company’s Managing Director, Resego Dambuza, said that the delayed payment was due to GABS’ malfunction.
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