Botswana Congress Party President (BCP), Dumelang Saleshando, has accused President Ian Khama of tolerating corruption.
Speaking during the launch of Dr Habaudi Hubona in Francistown West Constituency at the weekend, Saleshando said that corruption is slowly becoming part of Botswana’s culture under Khama’s governance.
“Under President Ian Khama’s government, corruption is acceptable. Those in the echelons of power are now doing it stubbornly for everyone to see,” he said.
He expressed concern over the reports that Directorate of Intelligence Services (DIS) boss, Isaac Kgosi is involved in corruption practices.
Saleshando said that it is disappointing to note that Kgosi, who is supposed to be protecting the country from criminals, is a criminal himself.
“Kgosi who is supposed to be protecting the nation from criminals is now a criminal. Corruption in Botswana is growing at an alarming rate. President Ian Khama on the other hand, has built himself an airstrip and houses for his siblings in Mosu village from the government coffers,” he said.
On a different note, Saleshando said that his party will continue to pressurize government to conduct a land audit, especially in Francistown and the North East District. He expressed concern over shortage of land in the area, saying that most of it is owned by Tati Company.
“In Francistown alone, Tati Company has a huge chunk of land which can allocate 17 000 residential plots. It is also disappointing to note that the government of Botswana with a population of only 2 million people is failing to give land to its citizens. This is the main reason why we as BCP seek a land audit,” he said.
Saleshando assured BCP members that his party will continue to advocate for the teaching of minority languages in schools. He also said that it is important for every child to be afforded pre-school education. He said that the BCP is determined to improve the quality of education in the country.
“As BCP we believe that every child should be given an equal opportunity to go through pre-school education. Research has shown that children who go through pre-school education perform better in schools,” he added.
He implored Francistown West resident to elect Dr Hubona back to parliament in October as she has proved her capability during her short stint in parliament.
“With only a few months in parliament, Dr Habaudi Hubona has contributed immensely in parliamentary debates more than our BDP counterparts. She is a selfless, intelligent and hardworking politician,” he said.
For her part, Dr Hubona assured the BCP members that, if elected back to parliament in October, she will advocate for more developments in the constituency. She said that she will work hard to address problems such as unemployment, poor infrastructure and poverty in the constituency.
“Although it is the oldest, Francistown West Constituency is underdeveloped and people are living in abject poverty. I want to advocate for more developments in this constituency. I also want to advocate for the creation of recreational facilities in the constituency to cater for the youths,” she said.
Dr Hubona will face Ignatius Moswaane of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and Richard Tambula of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) in the up-coming elections.
