This week, the Botswana National Youth Council announced that they had suspended the chairperson of their Executive Committee, Louis Sibanda.
An official statement from the BNYC says this follows allegations, many of which were reported by The Telegraph. We have no intention to preempt the ongoing investigations, much less judge Sibanda or any one of the BNYC officers who may be under investigation.
Our worry, which has remained consistent is that BNYC needs to be detached from party politics and be a truly stand alone arm of government dedicated to serving all young Batswana regardless of party affiliation. We have in the past decried the close proximity between BNYC and the ruling Botswana Democratic Party.
It is disheartening that instead of serving the whole spectrum of youth across the country, BNYC has over the years allowed itself to become a nursery or breeding ground, to use more uncharitable language of future BDP leaders.
This much is irrefutable.
The veracity of this fact is borne by the high number of former BNYC leaders who went on to become BDP activists and in some instances cabinet ministers.
Former BNYC leaders who went on to become BDP activists include Nonofo Molefhi, Mpho Moruakgomo, Andy Boatlile, Metlha Mokwena, Chommie Letlole, Fidelis Molao, Phillip Makgalemele and Charles Majweng, to name but a few.
The list is endless. And we could go on and on if it would help us make a point.
The list is however very short when it comes to BNYC leaders who went on to later join opposition parties.
In the past, such deviation of BNYC mandate into politics was somewhat pardonable because the problems that faced the youth were not as grave. Today the youth in this country are facing intractable problems that need serious-minded youth leaders whose attention is not divided or shared with party politics.
Such problems include unemployment which has brought about despondency, loss of esteem, hopelessness and above all a loss of faith and belief in our governance structures.
A growing number of youth in this country no longer feel they owe this country anything.
While we continue to call on them to show patriotism, they are unable to understandable what that is for since, by their reckoning, this country has not done anything for them.
To them, the latest proof that we do not take them seriously, if such proof was needed is the Graduate Volunteer Scheme announced by Government a fortnight ago.
Under the Scheme, graduates will be paid P600 a month.
This is an insult.
It breeds anger to a youth that already feels wounded.
In all these difficulties the youth of this country cannot afford a BNYC that is distracted by petty problems including what amounts to petty theft.
But that is a total discussion for another day.
BNYC leaders should be selfless people who went into these positions to serve rather than to have their fingers in the till.
We call on BNYC leaders to rise to the occasion and show leadership to the thousands of young people in this country who are collapsing under a plethora of problems including drugs and disease.
