Mophuting Lauds Efforts To Restore Dignity

The reduction of tariffs and revising minimum wage upward amidst economic hardship, demonstrates government’s commitment to justice, equity, and restoration. The Assistant Minister for State President and MP for Bonnington North, Ms Maipelo Mophuting, said when debating the State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday. She hailed the government’s deliberate focus on social protection, inclusive governance, and restoration of dignity.

Ms Mophuting said that the decision to raise old age pension, introducing child support grant, and reforms on programmes such as Ipelegeng into skills-based opportunities spoke to a government that saw beyond numbers and indicative of social justice in motion. She stated that when a government decided on an amnesty for water bills, that demonstrated to those who could not afford to pay that they were not forgotten and government cared about them. Government’s success would not be measured by GDP, but by the lives it touched, especially the voiceless, powerless, and vulnerable, Ms Mophuting said, adding that the bold measures announced for the youth, such as the Presidential Youth Empowerment Campaign, increase in TVET allowances, and the development of creative industries through a P200 million fund were encouraging.

Such she said showed a government that believed in its young people and saw them as innovators, creators, and nation-builders of today. Also, she said the establishment of the Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Botswana Mercantile Exchange, and reforms in the mining, agriculture, and digital sectors signified a government that understood stewardship. Focusing on her constituency, Ms Mophuting said the government should continue building a conducive environment for investment in the interest of employment creation.

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She said Phase II clinic needed refurbishment, noting that the area was experiencing a shortage of ambulances and staff. Ms Mophuting said medicine supply, although improving, was still a challenge. Also, she highlighted that schools’ infrastructure was dilapidated and there was a shortage of furniture.

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