"This atmosphere requires one to take advantage of government programmes while they are still available since there is no guarantee that they would continue to operate in the future."

"The important things that I have promised Batswana that the report has covered are still there. People are just doing the final submissions and I promise that we will release the report next week. We are finalising the report. I have told them to speed up their submissions."

"If there is someone interested in that constituency who is not from BDP….that person is heading for disappointment. If I win the primaries, I do not dream of anyone winning that constituency except me."

"The people of Gaborone West North are clever and would not be cheated by anyone."

"We do meet occasionally with Molefhi where we share a cup of coffee. Balopi our offices are next to each other’s so we always meet and chat while Nkate we do converse over the phone."

"Poverty eradication should target rural areas."

"Please start implementing your transfer policy."

"It must be accepted that individuals have a right to benefit from economic activities."

"What is the use of holding on to a Cabinet position only to be voted out of power in 2014. A Secretary General can make a party win or lose elections."

"You do not win elections through a strong government; it is a strong party that wins you an election. When we went to the elections in 2009 Lobatse was a huge construction site. In as far as government programmes are concerned we were doing very well, but our position as a party was weak because of the internal squabbles. That is why we lost that Constituency."

"I cannot place these people in the political landscape of this country. I however believe that these are scores of apolitical voters who have now found a home in the BMD. These swing voters are a very important constituency that may decide who wins the next election."

"I have a connection with the people."

"We had hoped that the much celebrated ESP money would be channeled into the power and water projects to bring stability into the economy. There cannot be any development without these basic essentials."

"Our industries terribly need power and water supplies. We had hoped the ESP will bring normalcy into the acute situation."

"these power cuts are a result of leadership failure, the government made a number of false promises which they never delivered on, we came with a proposal on how this should be addressed. We are feeling the pinch. We have an interest to run this country and we want to find this country in a good state."

"It would be responsible for ensuring sustainable and secure supplies in the regulated sector. Ensuring tariffs in the regulated sector are fixed on the basis of a tariff methodology that has been set up in a transparent manner taking into account government policy on cross subsidies between classes of consumers and setting and maintaining standards."

"Climate change is real, nobody can deny that."

"The principle of common but differentiated responsibility must apply."

"Somarela Thothi is a project that calls for the reduction of water loss and would be implemented in Gaborone area between now and the end of 2015."

"There is too much usage and waste of water in schools, hospitals and government buildings hence the debate to change building standards."

"As it stands I do not have a reason to close those dams."

"Nobody has approached me. I have also talked to Minister Seretse, and like me he is surprised where all this is coming from."

"Then that is when we can know what we are talking about. I am not resigning, I will remain in my constituency and not a single BDP leader has ever discussed that with me."

"I think they should have approached us with the allegations before printing it but they did not and chose to write the falsehoods."

"This will also be a referendum on delivery."

"One day [at school] we were in a queue, and we were asked a question. ‘O mo kae?’ If you said ‘I am a Motswana,’ you were asked to step to one side. If you said ‘I am a Moyeyi,’ you were asked to step to another side. Then all of us who had said we were Bayeyi were beaten up."

"Very few projects are completed within the prescribed time. If they do, then the quality of the end product leaves a lot to be desired."

"This is a source of grave concern to me; as such practices greatly compromise our integrity. This perhaps explains why government projects are always competed behind schedule, with massive cost overruns and poor quality."

"Let me correct the misplaced idea and belief carried by the honourable member. My Ministry has more money than anybody to generate adequate power and water. Therefore the question to reserve the ESP money particularly for the current power and water shortages does not arise."

"It does not take one or two years to accomplish the projects. The infrastructure required is big. The projects therefore are a long term initiatives."

"That is why we believe the private sector remains the engine of growth. It was not until the private sector started carrying out its own economic activities on this site that the economic potential made by the government on the development of this site could be realized."

"The role of government should be to facilitate and ensure that the environment is conducive for business to thrive,"

"This year’s theme is signalingprogress in that we are now focused towardsconsolidating strategic partnershipsbetween Government and the Private Sector."

"It is my view that between the last Pitsoand now collective efforts have been madetowards overcoming many of the challengeswhich were made then."

"Examples of the latter include MogoditshaneSenior Secondary School staff housingand Block 10 police staff housing projects."

"The buildings maintenance budgets for allministries except for the Ministry of Healthwere consolidated into one budget undermy ministry this year and this developmenthas facilitated effective planning andprioritization of interventions. Moreover,my ministry will be undertaking a conditionsurvey of Government facilities in thisfi nancial year using the services of the privatesector to augment internal resourcesand the idea is to facilitate forward planningand to prepare for the execution of rehabilitationworks in the coming year.Theintention is to follow this up with a longterm facilities management programme forthe continuous upkeep of these facilities."

"I know that some people out there are not happy with my decision to be contesting for the elections as an independent candidate. I am not in the race to hamper anyone’s mood but I am also eyeing to win the race. Contesting as an independent candidate is a legitimate process too."

"Indigenous identification of livestock should be considered in our courts because lots of people lose their livestock especially cattle when they are not branded despite one having an extensive knowledge of how they can identify them, other than the commonly used and visible numerical branding."

"We are not spared from this global crisis and if current trends continue, well before the middle of this century NCDs will be responsible for more than three-quarters of the deaths in the country."

"The impact of the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases is not only on the medical health, but on the economy; in direct care costs and lost productivity."

"That is how alarming the situation is and hence my statement that cancer is threatening to decimate our nations, to make matters worse, the burden and the mortality from the three is on decline whereas that of cancer is on the rise."

"A number of those cancers that could be preventable develop because either our communities have not had enough sensitisation or education or we have not adequately addressed primary prevention."

"You have been adequately trained and the expectation is that you should always act in accordance with the demands of your job. You are nurses and doctors and you should conduct yourselves accordingly."

"Your task is simple because you already know where the drugs are likely to be and you have all the liberty to call the warehouse. This is not a joke, and so you need to hold fast to it."

"Although climate change has adverse effects, it also creates opportunities for us to consider other crops that previously would not do well in our environment. Therefore there is need for farmers to change their mindset and search for opportunities in the midst of challenges."

"Construction of road networks and drainage systems funded by the African Development Bank and government of Botswana is on-going at present. Bush clearing of 2500 hectares of small holder farms is almost complete. This project will assist farmers to access their fields during the rainy season and also increase the hectorage under production at present. This is part of government efforts to assist the farmers."

"I am calling on our government to seriously reconsider its policy on this delicate subject as it affects lives of our citizens in prisons."

"I am sure that there could be donor organisations that can assist in such circumstances. They should be approached."

"I pledge to ensure that public property and funds are not spirited away to foreign lands by some leaders – including MPs."

"I am not talking to the BDP and I am not interested. I still think they are a joke."