Politicians From Botswana

"We thought we had built enough foundation that could not be rocked when it came to our democracy, but we have found out that it just takes one man in that position to reverse all the gains that we have made and sweated for many years"

"Always give and that is an unfortunate situation we are in, but I am hopeful that it will improve in due course when the private sector matures, but for now it is a private sector to have a nurse the whole time. I am not going to accept any comparison with South Africa."

"I have no problem with the President of South Africa doing this, in South Africa he can afford to mention these figures, because he has a private sector that works. Private sector there works, it does not wait for government tenders, that is not what they wait for, they produce in order to sell internationally."

"So, this promise I dismiss it. It is really only a campaign talk. It is easy to do this if you are not accountable to anybody, it is easy. In reality if you tried it, you will have a worst situation about unemployment than we have today. That is the fact."

"I am saying the net effect will surely be increased unemployment. That is what it would be. It will be almost immediately, not in the medium to long term, but immediate."

"It is not because we do not want to do it, definitely we also want our people to live comfortably by earning a minimum wage or as some call it the living wage. Semantics do not matter. We cannot do it now at least because we have constraints. You cannot just announce it and say we will do it on day one."

"We need to thoroughly examine the way we have been doing our business. We need to accept that today’s challenges require a new set of solutions and strategies, and be prepared to let go of old practices that no longer yield good results. We must find innovative solutions that are consistent with the changed environment."

"Government must also exercise caution in the use of accumulated cash reserves to finance development initiatives."

"Care needs to be taken not to overburden our future economic pathway with too much debt, which becomes the first call on future revenues."

"We have dealt with China before and we know what we are doing as a government."

"We do not have a problem with China at all."

"Promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth is vital for promoting long term economic development as well as addressing the demographic challenges that we are currently facing."

"It is my sincere hope that as more banks and branches open in the country, competition will increase and thereby reduce the relative costs of banking services."

"With regard to employment creation, it is important to clarify that the principal role of the Government is not to create jobs directly, but to provide a conducive macroeconomic environment to facilitate the development of the private sector. The private sector, in turn, is expected to take advantage of such an environment to undertake investments, which would contribute to the growth of the economy and creation of sustainable employment opportunities."

"On the other hand, a Development Budget of P17.47 billion is proposed to finance on-going and new programmes and infrastructural projects being implemented throughout the country. However, the implementation of the development budget is likely to continue to be undermined by implementation capacity, which characterises both the public and private sectors."

"It is critical that by the end of the Plan period – NDP 11 –, all planned programmes are achieved in order to take the country forward. However, to achieve this will require adoption of measures to increase the country’s implementation capacity."

"In terms of Section 13 of the Banking Act, administered by Bank of Botswana, a bank is required to maintain a minimum capital adequacy (solvency) ratio of at least 15%, calculated as unimpaired capital to total risk – weighted assets,”"

"And this is the Botswana version of Donald Trump in Masisi"

"Botswana has been a democracy, right from independence, we had a very good reputation for democracy, we were a shining light on the African continent, we were renowned worldwide for our adherence to democracy and then you get this one man who comes in one day and just overturns everything"

"I have to fix the mistake I made in appointing Masisi to be my successor"

"The problem with some leaders is that they hide behind the rhetoric of Pan-Africanism while denying their citizens basic democratic rights"

"I came here to tell you that I am cutting ties with the BDP as I do not recognise this party anymore"

"It was a mistake to choose Masisi as my successor"

"He understood the destiny of Botswana was bound to that of Namibia, that our futures like our rivers and deserts flow together"

"When he looked north, across the Kalahari to this land of brave and dignified people, he saw not a neighbour but a brother"

"My father would have been shocked and disgusted at the abandonment of the rule of law, and human rights that we and many other Batswana were subjected to."

"Fast forward to 2018 to the character betrayal, and vindictiveness, this time not by the British but our very own raised its ugly head"

"It would not be appropriate to indicate my position with any political party publicly"

"The Africa we dream of - peaceful, prosperous and respected- will only emerge when our governance is guided by our values and not by our interests."

"When you have a country with millions of people, for any leader to think they are the only ones who can be president is pathetic."

"It is totally unacceptable when an African leader, in order to stay in power, will resort to killing his or her own people."

"I urge the private sector to take responsibility for aligning their operations with our National Development goals so that together we move Botswana forward into the realisation of Vision 2036 and beyond."

"We need to continue to look at ways and means of achieving improved standard of living for our people. We should aim for high impact activities and policies for people centred development.We should aim to broaden the SADC economic bases with the aim of creating employment for our people."

"This is exactly what UDC and us used to complain about when we were both in opposition. Now, they have quickly forgotten and are doing the very same thing. Their attitude is a monopoly of patriotism."

"There is no joy derived from the reality that your body is home to cancer cells that have a possibility of prematurely leading you to the grave."

"We seem to have a trend of a national president who acts alone on very important national issues and remember as Parliament our duty is to provide oversight on the conduct of the executive."

"Even as we speak today there are shortages of drugs and now the ministry of health is saying there are no ARV’s and condoms, so this is worrisome. So even with this emergency there are no medicines."

"I can assure you that we will play our part in focusing on issues, to play the ball, not the man. Where we critique, my point of departure is that no matter how strong you feel about your position, what matters most is the national interest."

"Many did not believe that BDP would ever lose an election, at least in our lifetime. Batswana have now experienced change."

"The voter has also given BCP the mandate to be the biggest opposition block. We have a duty to perform that function as constitutionally stipulated, because democracy needs a strong opposition."

"When the first HIV cases were reported in Botswana we did not have the infrastructurein place to deal with this epidemic. We had to work in partnerships to be able to address the impact of the epidemic. We know what can work, and now our response to HIV aligns with the SDGs and the national vision for the country's future."

"In Botswana we have different faiths and beliefs but the unifying factor is God and I therefore call upon the leaders of these different faiths, to work towards a common good to serve humanity and prevent new HIV infections. No faith should be found to be discriminating against people living with HIV. No faith should be found to be speaking against health programmes."

"The Government commits to making family-friendly early childhood development policies a national priority-and a private sector imperative."

"An effective Parliament is an important element of a vibrant democracy and good governance, all of which are desired principles of the Commonwealth as enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter. It is the principle of the CPA that stronger parliaments mean stronger democracies, and greater capacity to deliver the benefits that people expect: such as employment opportunities, empowerment of women, food security, health care, education, rural development, a brighter future for children and protection of the environment."

"Bagamalete have shown us that culture and tradition are dynamic and not static, and that they can be adapted to suit socioeconomic change for the benefit of that same culture."

"Women always bring something extra, I think that there's a different perspective that women can bring to the table."

"I think those of us that have the opportunity and privilege to study law have a special responsibility to make sure that law does what it is meant to do, and that is to deliver justice because it doesn't always [on its own]."

"The institution of chieftainship and the installation of Botswana's first woman paramount chief cannot be seen in isolation from the tremendous socioeconomic changes that have taken place in our country and the world."

"In Setswana, we say ‘go ruta mosadi ke go ruta sechaba’ meaning that ‘to educate a woman is to educate a nation."