2014-2019 manifesto ready to lead - elections …electionsbotswana.org/manifesto/bcp 2014...

1 READY TO LEADBCP 2014-2019 MANIFESTO

Our social contract with the people for 2014 – 2019

Ready to LeadLeading Botswana out of the crossroads

2014-2019 MANIFESTO


Foreword

Introduction

1. Delivering a Citizen Led Economic Alternative

2. Development of Water and Energy Resources

3. Establishing a Conducive Work Environment

and Decent Wages

4. Ensuring an Educated and Skilled Batswana

5. Delivering Equitable Land Distribution and

Providing Decent Housing

6. Promoting a Healthy Nation

7. Ensuring Good Governance

8. Promoting Gender Equality

9. Sports Development and Youth Empowerment

10. Foreign Affairs and International Trade

11. BCP Shadow Cabinet

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Table of Contents


Hon. Dumelang SaleshandoBCP President


Fellow citizens, it is with great pleasure for me to present to you the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) manifesto for the 2014 general elections. In 2009, we jointly presented a BCP- BAM manifesto under the theme “A Nation at Crossroads: Which Way Now – Democracy and Prosperity or Dictatorship and Economic Collapse?” We had at the time warned that electoral victory for the BDP would usher in an era of disastrous economic management and reverse our gains on democratic governance. Our fears have come to pass.

Our economy is on a free fall as evidenced by the crisis in water and power supply, failed government projects due to corruption such as the Palapye Glass Project, a mismanaged agricultural sector that is impoverishing the farmers and rising unemployment particularly amongst the youth. Our education sector is in total disarray as demonstrated by the results of public schools in the past 5 years. The term extra judicial killings, though unknown to most Batswana before 2008, is now a common phrase in our daily public debates. Government has declared an unending war on the trade unions and we have an aggrieved national workforce. The Happy Planet Index, an independent entity measuring progress on how nations are delivering a better life for their people, has consistently ranked Botswana as one of the unhappiest nations in the world.

In the midst of the negative developments experienced since 2009, we have a positive message to convey to you as the BCP. In 2010, the BCP and BAM merged into a single entity, defying the perception that opposition parties are a constant source of infighting for positions of leadership. We can proudly assert that we remain the most stable political formation in Botswana. It is on account of this ability to manage our internal affairs in a dignified manner that we present ourselves as a credible alternative.

Though in the opposition, we have had a profound positive effect on the governance of our country. Through our limited number of seats in Parliament, we have tabled motions that have impacted on the lives of ordinary Batswana. Parliament instituted a select committee to investigate the declining performance of the beef industry and the Botswana Meat commission through a BCP sponsored motion. Many families rely on the beef industry for their financial sustenance and efforts to turn around the sector will directly impact

Foreword


on the economic fortunes of Batswana. We have strongly advocated for promotion of home ownership for those who are still to secure their first house, and as a result, first time home owners will not have to pay transfer duty. Parliament has also adopted a BCP sponsored motion to do away with Value Added Tax for first time home owners.

In an effort to develop our democracy, we have sponsored motions such as the live broadcast of Parliamentary debates. Once implemented, this will allow the electorate to follow national debates on issues that affect them and better demand accountability from their leaders. Parliament has also adopted our motion calling for the ratification of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Once signed and ratified, the right to work, the right to education, and the right to an adequate standard of living will become a feature of the human rights menu in Botswana.

The BCP has also been actively providing strong leadership outside Parliament. In different local authorities where we had the opportunity to assume positions of leadership, our councillors have performed with distinction. We have engaged the public to take part in peaceful demonstrations to democratically express their views on issues such as the mismanagement of land and the energy crisis.

Our party has undoubtedly grown in leaps and bounds. At every election since formation, we have increased our share of the popular vote. Since the 2009 general elections, we are the only party that has not lost any Member of Parliament but rather attracted other legislators to join our party, confirming that we are indeed the party of choice. We will be approaching the 2014 elections with a single primary objective, to win the elections and form a government. We have done our part as an opposition party and are now ready to assume the reins of power as a government.

To demonstrate that we are ready and willing to form a government, we recently announced our shadow cabinet composed of men and women who have the requisite skills, knowledge and experience to lead our country to greater heights. We have stated the changes we wish to make to the government ministries to better deliver on our pledges. Through this manifesto, we now present the key ideas to drive our economy forward and create jobs. We commit to address the rot in the education sector to give our youth hope for the future. We also pledge to modernise our democracy to ensure that we can


all truly celebrate our freedom; freedom from hunger, deprivation, illness and all the negative impediments dominating the lives of many Batswana.

I am convinced that with our experience of over 15 years managing a growing party, the skills we have attracted to manage and lead our party, quality of leadership in our shadow cabinet, the diverse pool of skills possessed by our Parliamentary and Council candidates for the 2014 general elections and having put together a manifesto articulating an alternative that will radically change Botswana for the better, the BCP is now ready to Lead Botswana out of the Crossroads.

I invite you to take time to read our manifesto, which we consider to be our contract with you once we assume government and administer the country on your behalf until 2019. I urge you to play your part to ensure that the true potential of our country is realised and together we can stop the eminent collapse of our economy and democracy. Be part of the solution to the problems our country faces by voting for the BCP. We are Ready to Lead.

Kgololo!

Dumelang Saleshando

BCP President


This Manifesto continues the theme of the 2009 one, entitled: “A Nation at Crossroads: Which Way Now – Democracy and Prosperity or Dictatorship and Economic Collapse? This year’s theme is “BCP- Ready to Lead”- Leading

Botswana Out of the Crossroads. In this manifesto, we pledge our readiness to lead Botswana out of the cross roads. We have a proven track record of stability and sound organization. We present in this manifesto clear alternative policies for Botswana anchored on social democratic principles. This ten point manifesto focuses on critical areas of national life namely; the economy, energy and water resources, labour relations, education, land and housing, health, governance, gender equality, youth development, international relations and trade.

Section 1 outlines how the BCP will deliver an inclusive citizen-led economic program that shall create decent jobs for a majority of Batswana. Through beneficiation of natural resources, provision of infrastructure and cutting edge technology, agricultural diversification and commercialization, agro-businesses and a state inspired tourism sector, the BCP government will expand Botswana’s economic base and stimulate industrialization. A citizen empowerment law will be enacted by the BCP government to allow Batswana to fully participate in their economy.

Section 2 covers energy and water resources. We offer our long term strategy to provide energy and water to both businesses and households in an affordable, environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.

Section 3 spells out how the BCP government will foster cordial industrial relations as a way of fostering productivity, innovation and creativity in the work force. The BCP government will respect tripartite arrangements as well as honour the collective bargaining process at all times.

Section 4 of the manifesto covers the education sector. BCP holds the view that education is a vital resource for the overall development of the country. It is on that basis that if the BCP is given the mandate to govern, it will divide the Ministry of Education into two, namely, Ministry of Basic Education and Ministry of Higher Education for ease of management and coordination. To transform the sector the BCP will introduce free and compulsory education from pre-school to Form Five. Pre-primary education development will be emphasized and appropriate infrastructure and personnel will be made available. The reduction of class size; mother tongue

Introduction


instruction at entry levels; refocusing the curriculum to meet market needs and improvement of the welfare of teachers as well as students will be given priority by the BCP government.

Section 5 outlines the BCP strategy on land and housing. The BCP will deliver an equitable land management and distribution program which shall confer same rights and benefits to land owners. Land servicing shall be carried out on a massive scale and by the end of the first five years in office, waiting periods for land allocation will be reduced to only one year. Home ownership will be prioritized and in this regard, first time home owners will be exempted from VAT when buying a house. The tenant purchase scheme will be structured to make it easy for occupants of BHC houses to acquire them.

Section 6 covers the health sector. We will promote the full implementation of Primary Health Care and revert to the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 to ensure a health delivery system anchored on equity, accessibility, affordability and community involvement. The BCP government will also pay particular attention to observance of high standards of care in health facilities. Sexual reproductive health will be given greater attention and HIV/AIDS interventions will be integrated into the health system to avoid stigmatization.

Section 7 covers democracy and governance which spells out how the BCP government will modernise Botswana’s democracy and make it open, accountable and transparent. A Constitutional Review Commission shall be set up to review the constitution and align it with international best practices on issues such as separation of powers, powers of the President, independence of the Judiciary, and independence of Parliament. We shall improve transparency and accountability in Government by ensuring that appointment to oversight institutions is done with the input of Parliament and that such bodies report directly to Parliament. Local authorities will be transformed to afford them greater autonomy in decision-making.

Sections 8 and 9 are devoted to gender and youth issues respectively. Mainstreaming gender and youth development in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the country is a key priority in the BCP government’s development agenda. The BCP will implement an affirmative action policy that shall ensure greater participation of women and youth in decision-making and economic activities.

Section 10 outlines how the BCP government will deal with international relations and international trade. The BCP will constitute a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. In this regard, our government will refocus the work of our foreign missions to have a special bias towards opening up investment avenues for Botswana businesses in the international community and attracting genuine Foreign Direct Investment. Foreign missions will be staffed with fully resourced investment experts who shall place Botswana as an investment destination of choice.


1.1 Situational analysis

The Botswana economy continues to overly depend on revenue from mineral exports. It is characterised by high levels of unemployment, particularly amongst the youth, high levels of inequalities and exclusion of Batswana from participation in the key sectors of our economy. The manufacturing sector is marginal and its capacity to diversify the economy is untapped. Our exports are sold in international markets with minimal processing to add value. Procurement of goods and services by government and Parastatals is dominated by foreign suppliers or their agents, in the process stifling the opportunity to enhance domestic production capacity. The historically impressive data on economic growth are not reflected in the average lives of Batswana.

Botswana has an underdeveloped infrastructural base that is not able to open up opportunities for investment in strategic sectors. In most parts of Botswana, poor road network, limited access to power and water as well as telecommunication services in areas that have potential for economic activity remain key barriers to job creation. Compared to other countries with a GDP comparable to Botswana, we lack a modernised infrastructure base that can support our drive to attract foreign investment.

1.2 Our Contract on Delivering a Citizen led Economic Alternative

The key thrust of our economic strategy will be premised on the need to deliver inclusive growth and job creation leading to improvement in the quality of life for Batswana.

To broaden the base for economic growth and industrialization, the BCP will prioritise investment in infrastructure such as provision of power and water as well as modern roads, expanded rail and telecommunication networks in all areas with potential for economic activity.

To attain industrialization, we shall:

• Put measures in place to attain a minimum of 50% beneficiation for most of our mineral products by the year 2019. The targeted sectors shall be diamonds,

1. Delivering a Citizen led Economic Alternative


copper, nickel, soda ash and coal

• Promote the establishment of industries that are related to cattle by-products such as leather products

• Aggressively pursue an import substitution policy for goods whose inputs are available in the domestic economy and offer protection for the infant industries in sectors such as cement, bricks, glass and dairy products

• Identify products with competitive advantages for the regional and international markets whose raw materials are available in the domestic economy and support industries that will focus on production for export.

To promote citizen involvement in the mainstream economy, the BCP government shall;

• Formulate a law on citizen economic empowerment compelling the involvement of citizens in all major economic activities

• Re-formulate the citizen reservation policy to target more high value ventures

• Improve the capacity of the government to monitor the implementation of the citizen empowerment strategy.

To finance our industrialization and infrastructure expansion strategy, we shall;

• Influence financial sector lending with the identified national priorities

• Mobilise domestic savings by sectors such as the pension industry to finance the infrastructure expansion program

• Promote joint partnerships between government and the private sector.

The BCP government will play an active role in conjunction with the private sector to ensure that the above stated strategy for industrialization is realised. In expanding the economic base, special attention will also be paid to promoting procurement of locally produced goods. The total government procurement budget for goods will be biased towards goods produced by the local business sector and shall be progressively increased to at least 60% by 2019.

It will be the objective of a BCP government to promote the growth of a strong entrepreneurial base to drive the economy. To this end, there will be a Ministry of Business Development and Citizen Empowerment focusing on development of the local business sector. Levies, taxes and licensing fees will be reviewed so as to cancel levies that do not go into the consolidated fund. The licences required for new business to operate will also be reviewed with the aim of minimising requirements for businesses to operate.

Small and Medium Enterprises will be assisted to access government contracts and


for major projects, those awarded the tenders shall be required as a condition of the main contract, to sub-contract aspects of the contracts to small and medium enterprises. The BCP shall support and protect the informal sector by reviewing existing laws, regulations and by laws to remove any form of harassment of informal sector traders.

The BCP government will focus on promoting Botswana’s international business interests. Growing local businesses will be assisted by Botswana foreign missions to explore market opportunities beyond our borders to export a more diversified mix of goods, thereby increasing opportunities for earning foreign revenue.

1.3 Our Contract to Promote Rural Development through the Agricultural Sector

The BCP recognizes the central role of agriculture in the economy and rural development. It is through enhanced agricultural production that the BCP hopes to restore the pride, dignity and confidence of Botswana citizens and expand opportunities for meaningful economic activities in the rural areas. Attainment of food self-sufficiency, upliftment of the rural economy and improved livelihoods shall be the cornerstones of our agricultural policy. The BCP shall:

• Develop rural infrastructure – we shalll develop roads, telecommunications, dams and provide electricity to facilitate development of rural areas through agriculture. This will be our key strategy to attract investment and the youth into the agricultural sector and improve opportunities for the rural populations to be fully engaged and earn decent incomes. In addition, we will introduce and support infrastructure for large scale irrigation schemes.

• Promote green energy programes for agricultural production – we will promote and support the use of solar energy and related technologies to produce affordable, sustainable and environmentally friendly energy for farming households.

• Develop area specific strategies – we shall develop targeted assistance schemes for small, medium and big commercial farmers and support each geographical area according to its needs and circumstances.

• Establish an agricultural bank and credit system to serve both large and small farmers.

• Diversify agriculture – we shall diversify the sector by promoting the exploitation and management of wildlife by establishing community based game farms, upscale small stock and ostrich farming, encouraging exploitation of veld products and strengthening fishing as part of expanding the agricultural base.

• Create agro-businesses – we shall create rural agro-industries such as milling, skin tanning, basic technology production (plough, planter and harrow), fertilizers


and livestock feed to create more long term jobs in the agriculture sector.

• Promote export - we shall identify products for potential export.

• Emphasize agricultural education for all – we shall develop a comprehensive agricultural education programe where children and parents will be exposed to and educated on the importance of agriculture and the need to produce some of the basic foodstuff for themselves. In addition, we will build and sustain a critical skill mass of Batswana artisans, technicians and professionals to meet both the current and future needs of the agro-industry.

• Increase public investment in agricultural research - we believe that agricultural research should be the principal tool to producing evidence-based policies and practices. We shall make research central to agricultural production by establishing district agricultural research and experimental stations.

• Support insurance in the sector - we shall establish a comprehensive insurance scheme for crop and livestock sub-sectors in collaboration with private insurance firms.

• Provide sustainable water as the key to productive non-rain fed dependent agriculture- we will build small and medium scale dams to support agricultural projects, harvest water and drill syndicate owned boreholes to allow for crop diversification and all year agricultural production.

• Control, management and possible eradication of animal diseases – we shall dedicate resources to the control and eradication of diseases such as foot and mouth. This will include a robust program of ensuring that disease control fences are well maintained.

• Alternative markets for Botswana beef - We shall seek alternative markets for Botswana beef with less regulatory requirements for the farmers.

• Access to artificial insemination – We shall expand access to artificial insemination as way of improving the quality of the national herd

1.4 Exploiting Tourism for Sustainable Economic Growth

The BCP aims to develop tourism as a strategic industry that can contribute to national development by generating more revenue, creating more jobs and providing leisure and entertainment to both citizens and foreigners. The BCP pledges to fully exploit the economic potential of this sector as follows:

• Develop tourism infrastructure by establishing the Parks and Tourism Board that will develop lodges and other infrastructure and invite the private sector to run them under a management contract. This arrangement will ensure that these


lucrative concessions remain under citizen ownership at the same time benefiting private investors who will not worry about the lease periods as well as the costs of constructing the lodges.

• Localize the concessions to ensure that all concessions (hunting, photographic etc) are allocated to citizens only. International tourism investors will go into joint ventures with these citizens. This will ensure that the means of production stay with locals.

• Create linkages with other economic sectors such as agriculture by ensuring that agricultural products such as vegetables, meat and poultry are sourced locally by hotels and lodges. This will grow both the agricultural sector and tourism for the well being of the entire economy and the people.

• Develop a robust, holistic marketing strategy and plan for different regions of Botswana’s products.

• Formulate a well researched, coordinated and branding marketing strategy for the country with clear deliverables and targets.

• Promote and protect community based tourism by developing a Community Based Tourism (CBT) Policy to ensure that local communities are actively involved in this industry.

• Develop a national tourism profile by mapping out all the different cultural sites, build halls for cultural performance, and protect traditional music and art.

• Promote and facilitate the establishment of joint venture tourist enterprises between Batswana and non-citizens to embark on the development of complex projects that require significant levels of investment, as well as technical and managerial expertise.

• Eliminate or reduce tourism leakages with the view to augmenting the level of tourism benefits accruing to Batswana unlike presently where most of the money paid by international tourists for their Botswana Tourist packages remains in the country where they pay for the said packages.

• Review the current policy of high cost low volume in the tourism sector.

It is our view that the economic strategy outlined above will stimulate industrialization, create decent jobs and economically empower citizens of Botswana. However, there will be some individuals who may not sufficiently benefit sufficiently from the growing economy. It is on this basis that the BCP will offer protection to the vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society.


1.5 Protecting the Vulnerable

In Botswana, there are high levels of poverty and deprivation that require government to specifically target and prioritise for social and economic up-liftment as well as sustenance. The BCP shall;

• Create economic opportunities for all people who are poor and vulnerable as we believe that the best form of social welfare is work.

• Reorientate social welfare policies and programmes towards a developmental approach, where emphasis will be on human development and rehabilitation.

• Accord social safety nets to the poor, people living with disabilities, orphans and the elderly. The value of safety nets will be guided by the cost of living as well as the need to prioritise graduation out of dependency on government assistance

• Extend psychosocial and financial assistance to child headed households

• Set 60 as the age for which people qualify for old age pension and this will be based on the prevailing cost of living

• Introduce special programes for children in difficult circumstances such as street children to integrate them into society

• Provide support services and facilities for people living with disabilities


2 Development and Management of Energy and Water Resources


Botswana’s approach to development and management of water resources has been unambitious, short term and unsustainable. Energy and water resources have been treated as commodities that should be generated in modest quantities to satisfy prevailing current demand. Even more disturbing, the current government has tended to favour a policy of water and energy importation from neighbouring countries as a cost saving measure. The policy is flawed in that it ignores the potential negative consequences of dependence on other countries for such vital resources as power and water. When the shortcomings of dependency became apparent, the response of government has been to throw money into the energy and water sectors without due regard to the quality of the infrastructure that was being put in place. The impact of this ill-conceived and rushed approach to energy and water resource development and management has been intermittent power cuts in the case of energy and water shortage and rationing in the case of water provision.

The net result of the above has been devastating on the business sector. Many businesses have had to contend with major disruptions to their operations. Households continue to be inconvenienced by the erratic supply of water and electricity. Botswana has become a risky investment destination on account of failure by the government to guarantee reliable supply of water and electricity. This is in spite of the fact that the country has invested substantial resources in the Morupule B project and the North South Water Carrier Project.

2.2 Our Social Contract on Energy

Given the strategic importance of energy to the national economy, the sector requires a long term strategy that is geared towards attaining self-sufficiency in a sustainable and environmental friendly manner. To this end, the BCP shall;

• Beneficiate coal resources with a view to producing sufficient electricity for consumption and export to other countries.

• Invest in research and utilisation of clean renewable energy programes such as solar, wind and biomass. We will subsidise households and businesses that wish to utilise renewable energy so as to reduce pressure on the national grid.


• Liberalise the power generation regime and institute an independent regulatory authority that will ensure quality and monitor prices.

• Institute an audit into the Morupule B project to establish the true extent of the problem and determine the necessary remedial measures.

• Enrol the assistance of international agencies that promote the development of renewable energy.

2.3 Our Social Contract on Water Resources

Proper planning, development and management of water resources is critical for sustained economic development. In recognition of this, the BCP shall;

• Develop a comprehensive long term plan that details potential dam sites around the country and develop a timetable for constructing appropriate infrastructure to capture rainwater for domestic and commercial use.

• Promote the construction of small to medium scale dams that can meet demand for agriculture and domestic use in given localities.

• Undertake a comprehensive audit of underground water resources with a view to exploit it for domestic, commercial and agricultural use.

• Prohibit the use of pit latrines in areas identified as potential sources of underground water.

• Invest in water desalination projects for different areas with high volumes of salty water.

• Promote the use of grey water by households for usage in their gardens as well as recycled water for horticulture and other relevant industries.

• Explore the optimal utilization of the water resource availed by the Chobe and other rivers.


3. Establishing a Conducive Work Environment and Decent Wages


Botswana workers are confronted by multiple challenges that include inadequate earnings; job insecurity; unsafe working environment; limited social security, ineffective dispute resolution mechanisms and limited engagement between the tripartite partners (employer, employee and government). Government has adopted an anti-trade union stance and perceives organised labour as an impediment to good governance and economic development. This has resulted in a contaminated environment among the key social partners and acrimonious exchanges have become the norm.

The Labour Department is under resourced and lacks capacity to resolve routine labour disputes, which has resulted in the Industrial Court being flooded with cases that take up to 4 years to resolve. Employers have no regard for the Labour Department and employees have lost faith in the Departments’ ability to ensure justice in the workplace. Low wages have expanded the pool of people who can be termed as the working poor. Upon retirement, most workers are declared destitutes on account of limited social security offered by employers.

3.2 Our Social Contract with the Workers

The BCP believes that Batswana have the right to decent work as captured in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966. We are committed to pursuing economic policies that are geared at attaining full employment and according all citizens an opportunity to live a life of dignity in which hard work guarantees success.

BCP is committed to creating work place justice and democracy where collective bargaining will be the chief instrument for determining working conditions and salaries. To this end, we shall:

• Make the Ministry of Labour to be a stand-alone ministry and focus mainly on the implementation of labour laws, inspections in work places to ensure compliance. The ministry shall also monitor training and localization programs.

• Recognise trade unions as an integral part of our economic and social development strategy and treat them as equal partners in the development process.


• Strengthen social dialogue by establishing an Independent Tripartite Council which will bring the unions, employer organisations and government together to promote harmonious industrial relations, ensure that effective bargaining is promoted and propose legislative changes required for ensuring work place justice. In addition, the Council will on an ongoing basis address issues of productivity by the workforce.

• Improve Dispute Resolution mechanisms as a matter of urgency. Dispute resolution in the work place shall be removed from the Ministry of Labour. An independent body responsible for Mediation and Arbitration shall be established with powers to timeously adjudicate over disputes.

• Move the Industrial Court from the Ministry of Labour and set it as a specialised court of the High Court. At appeals level, there shall be a Labour Appeal’s Court.

• Actively encourage the unionization of workers, particularly private sector workers, domestic and agricultural sector workers to promote collective bargaining in the work place.

• Support Family Responsibilities at the Workplace - we shall introduce full pay for mothers on maternity leave and increase maternity leave to 14 weeks in line with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Maternity Protection Convention of 2000.

• Introduce a living wage for workers that is aligned to the cost of living.

• We will introduce compulsory pension legislation for all workers.

• Introduce Legislation on Sexual Harassment – we shall initiate legislation which will provide for prevention and penalization of sexual harassment at the workplace.

• Realign the Scope of Essential Services – We shall align the definition and scope of essential services to the 1994 ILO Committee of Standards position.

• Facilitate ownership of shares by workers in public corporations.

• Put in place a comprehensive strategy that will ensure a skilled labour force.



The education system is in a state of crisis. In the past five years alone, students’ performance in public schools has been declining. The infrastructure in most schools is in a state of disrepair and shortage of books and teaching materials is common. A number of schools are operating without science laboratories. The class size in most schools is not conducive for effective learning.

Teacher morale is low on account of poor working conditions that remain unattended after many years. These range from lack of accommodation and poor remuneration to poor opportunities for professional and self-development. Relations between the Ministry of Education and teacher organizations are acrimonious and not conducive for the development of the education sector. Graduates of tertiary institutions remain largely unemployed after graduation.

4.2 Our Social Contract on Education and Life Long Learning

The BCP seeks to transform Botswana into a truly educated and informed nation by giving all its citizenry quality education relevant to the real world of work, informed by contemporary research and leveraging on science and technology. To ensure that these objectives are attained, the education ministries will be segmented into Ministry of Basic Education and Ministry of Higher Education. The BCP shall:

Emphasise Access, Retention and Completion by;

• Redefining basic education to mean early childhood, primary, junior and senior secondary schools.

• Providing free and compulsory basic education.

• Ensuring that learners with special needs have access to educational opportunities;

• Providing all schools with Information and Communication Technology infrastructure as a tool to facilitate learning.

Promote Lifelong Learning: To ensure that Batswana participate actively in the global economy through continuous adaptation to changing opportunities and labour market demands, we will transform Batswana into lifelong learners by:

4. Ensuring an Educated and Skilled Batswana


• Widening access to higher education and providing government sponsorship for post graduate studies.

• Facilitating universities and other tertiary institutions to develop relevant and appropriate distance education programmes at both graduate and post graduate levels to reach out to the needs of learners in all parts of the country.

• Maximising shared use of government institutions’ resources by Distance Education providers.

Promote Education Quality.

We shall establish an autonomous Educational Inspectorate that audits educational provision and monitors quality at all levels of the education system. The National Education Inspectorate will:

• Be accountable to Parliament and submit an annual report on the status of educational facilities;

• Produce school inspection reports that will be made public. Such reports will be discussed at district council levels.

Develop and Implement a Policy of Multicultural Education. The policy aims at building a nation that respects unity in diversity and equality. Some of the steps that will be taken will include:

• Introduction of mother tongue as a medium of instruction from early child education to standard 4 in communities where Setswana is not the first language;

• Teach moral, civic and family life education in all public schools.

Promote Teacher Professional Development. We shall set up a Staff Development Agency to ascertain opportunities for professional development and reward excellence in teaching. In furthering teacher professional development we shall:

• Set first degree as the minimum qualification for all teachers;

• Upgrade Colleges of Education to offer degree programs;

• Ensure subject specialisation in the training of teachers for middle primary to senior secondary education level;

Restore Teachers’ Self-Esteem and Dignity. We recognize the centrality of teachers in human resource development. We are committed to radically improve their working conditions and reward system. The BCP shall:

• Remunerate teachers fairly taking into consideration levels of responsibilities and extra –curriculum activities.

• Provide all teachers with adequate accommodation;


• Establish a Teaching Council to professionalize teaching.

Transform School Curriculum for Relevance and to Highlight Vocational Skills Acquisition. This will be achieved by:

• Introducing curriculum at secondary school level that underscores vocational skills acquisition aimed at ensuring viability of self-employment as a means of job creation;

• Periodically review the curriculum to align it with the demands of the job market.

Strengthen Collaborative Partnerships in Educational Development by:

• Fostering participation of students, teachers, parents, community and industry in directing education through committee involvement and resource support.

• Introducing boards and councils to oversee technical and higher education institutions.

• Encouraging leadership development in schools by supporting Student Representative Councils which shall be protected through legislation.


5. Delivering Equitable Land Distribution and Providing Decent Housing


Land is a critical and finite resource requiring prudent management for present and future developmental challenges. The key challenges in Botswana are that though we are blessed with a huge mass of land relative to our small population, many Batswana are unable to secure land for residence, business or farming activities. Waiting periods for land allocation can be as long as 20 years. Huge tracks of land belonging to absentee landlords remain undeveloped while state land allocation is shrouded in secrecy. The different land tenure systems allow for unequal treatment for those who hold land depending on its categorization. In some parts of the country residential plots are allocated in areas without services such as roads and water but are required to be developed within short periods. Allocation criterion is inconsistent across the different land boards.

On account of the poorly managed land allocation system, most people find it difficult to develop property. The artificial shortage of land has led to high property prices and a thriving black market for land. The Botswana Housing Corporation houses are unaffordable for the average working Motswana and it is not able to cater for the total demand in the housing market. There is also a huge pool of people who do not afford BHC low cost units but are also considered to be above the income threshold for the Self Help Housing Agency.

5.2 Our Social Contract on Land Distribution and Management

The BCP maintains that a just, equitable, transparent and accountable institutional structure for land administration is an essential prerequisite to establishing a just society.

In order to attain the objective stated above, the BCP government shall;

• Undertake a comprehensive land audit to appreciate the current land ownership scenario.

• Impose a development covenant on undeveloped free hold land.

• Phase out the Certificate of Right and the Land Grant Certificate issued for tribal land plots and replace them with title deeds to allow those allocated to enjoy full economic value of the land.


• Prohibit the allocation of land without services.

• Impose a tax on allocated freehold land that remains undeveloped beyond the development covenant.

• Undertake accelerated land servicing and reduce the waiting period for land applications to 12 months by 2019.

5.3 Our Social Contract on Decent Housing

In accordance with Article 25 of the United Nations Declaration on Human rights, the BCP regards decent housing as a basic human right which every citizen of Botswana should be accorded. We recognize the urgent need for scaling up innovative and affordable housing initiatives through supportive policy framework. In this regard, the BCP envisages a stronger role for government in housing delivery particularly for the low income groups and the poor. For the middle and high income groups, priority will be to avail them with serviced land.

In order to attain decent housing, the BCP shall;

• Ensure a fast and efficient acquisition, servicing and allocation of land for housing to reduce the waiting periods.

• Transform BHC to focus on building affordable houses and its mandate will shift from treating provision of housing as a profit driven commercial undertaking to a basic need for the citizens.

• Introduce flexible packages for BHC tenants to buy the houses they rent.

• Offer tax incentives to private companies that promote home ownership for their staff.

• Abolish Value Added Tax on home purchases by first time home owners.

• Engage private property developers to construct multi residential units for sale at pre-determined prices.


6 Promoting a Healthy Nation


The current health system in Botswana is tilted more towards curative. The curative model has proven to be expensive with less improvement in the national health status. Despite our high expenditure, we still see emergence of childhood preventable diseases like diarrhoea, malnutrition and high under five years mortality rate. Our maternal mortality rate is not improving; resistant TB is on the increase. HIV infections and STI remain high. The load of preventable life style diseases like sugar diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure is on the increase. This can be reduced by robust primary and community based interventions which focus on prevention, early detection and treatment.

6.2 Our Social Contract on Health

A healthy nation is a pre-condition for development. There can be no meaningful development when the country’s health sector is in a state of crisis.

In order to promote universal access to quality services we shall:

• Promote the full implementation of Primary Health Care that focuses on prevention – we shall revert to the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 to ensure a health delivery system anchored on equity, accessibility, affordability and community involvement.

• Review the Public Health Act – the Public Health Act will be reviewed to remove objectionable provisions in as far as HIV and Human Rights are concerned.

• Strengthen the public health system - We shall be unrelenting in our pursuit for high standards and quality service. In particular, we pledge to preserve the integrity of the public health system so that access to services is not the domain of those who can afford to pay for it. We are committed to public health services that are free at the point of delivery.

• Support health workers as key players for success in the health system. To this end we shall provide high quality training for health workers , reform the pay system for health workers to provide better and fairer rewards for all staff including ancillary staff and increase health workers in all health facilities to minimize staff-burnout.

• Strengthen Partnerships in Health – we shall develop a machinery of collaboration


with other critical players like the private health practitioners, traditional and spiritual healers.

• Promote the patient’s voice - we are committed to giving patients and the public more say in the running of health services. This will entail putting patients first and building a health service around their needs. In addition, family members, carers and the community will be involved in ways to improve services.

• Promote Youth Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services – we will drastically reduce unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections including HIV among youth through the provision of services in a youth friendly manner.

• Strengthen Health Referral System – to promote a continuum of care, we will strengthen referral systems both in the country and within neighbouring countries.

• Establish Geriatric Health Care Services- considering the increasing pool of the aged in our demographics with their attendant health challenges, we will provide special services, facilities and medication for them.

• Integrate HIV and AIDS fully in health programes – we will provide for full integration of HIV and AIDS services with other health programes to promote efficiency in service delivery and to de-stigmatise the disease.



Botswana’s democracy is underdeveloped. The constitution has not been reviewed since independence and has not entrenched economic, social and cultural rights. Parliament lacks independence and is virtually under the office of the President. The appointment of key personnel to institutions of democracy and the judiciary remains shrouded in absolute secrecy and is primarily decided by the executive.

The election process is presided over by the government of the day and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is not truly independent. The security sector, especially the Directorate of Intelligence Services and Security (DISS), is personalised and serves the interests of the presidency with no oversight or accountability. Fundamental laws required to ensure good governance such as Freedom of Information, Disclosure of Assets and Liabilities, Protection of Whistle Blowers, Conflict of Interest and Insider Trading are not in place. The absence of these laws has made it difficult to convict ministers and other officials suspected of corruption.

7.2 Our Social Contract on Governance

The BCP believes in an ethical, accountable and transparent government that promotes participatory democracy and collective decision making. In this regard, we shall do the following;

Reclaiming our Civil Liberties

The BCP Shall:

• Set up a Constitutional Review Commission headed by a judge to look into possible amendments of the constitution including the bill of rights to include soio-econmic and cultural rights, the right to a clean environment, reduction of powers of the President and qualifying the immunities given to a sitting President.

• Guarantee press freedom in the constitution and forbidding Parliament from passing any law that restricts press freedom.

• Transform state broadcasters such as Radio Botswana and Botswana Television

7. Ensuring Good Governance


into public broadcasters with independent boards free from political control.

• Establish community based media platforms such as radio stations and newspaper to promote our cultural diversity.

Strengthening Institutions of Democracy

To promote Parliamentary Democracy, the BCP shall:

• Establish an Independent Parliamentary Service Commission that will oversee the operations of Parliament.

• Confirm the position of Speaker as head of the legislature and Leader of the House.

• Introduce the position of Leader of Government Business in the House to coordinate relations between the executive and legislature.

• Promote access to parliamentary debates through live broadcasts of debates

• Introduce legislation to ensure that resolutions of Parliament are binding on the Executive for implementation.

• Entrench the position of Leader of Opposition in the constitution and make it accountable to the Speaker.

To promote the Independence of the Judiciary, the BCP shall

• Ensure that the Botswana judiciary fully complies with the International Bar Association minimum standards of Judicial Independence.

• Improve the conditions of service for the judiciary so that we attract and retain the best judicial officers.

• Ensure that all judicial officers (judges and magistrates) enjoy personal and substantive independence. To this end, conditions of service for all judicial officers will be secured to guard against control by the executive. In the conduct of their duties, judicial officers will be subject only to the law and their conscience.

• Review the composition of the Judicial Service Commission to increase the number of members not appointed by the President. Representatives from the judges and magistrates association, civil society and academia will be included in the Judicial Service Commission.

• Allow for transparency in the appointment process of the judges and introduce public hearings by a Parliamentary Select Committee.


• Broaden the scope of legal aid to cover more deserving cases

• Ensure one centre for power of the judiciary – The Chief Justice shall be the head of the Judiciary and also the President of Court of Appeal.

Reforming Electoral Law System

BCP shall:

• Introduce a hybrid of first past the post and proportional representation system;

• Introduce direct election of the President.

• Increase the autonomy of the IEC by removing the civil servants as returning officers.

• Empower the Commissioners of the IEC to independently appoint the Secretary of the Commission.

• Empower the IEC to issue writ of elections for both parliamentary and local government by-elections.

• State the date of general elections in the Constitution.

• Introduce party funding by the State in recognition of the indispensable role played by political parties in our democracy.

• Regulate amount of financial donations per party from private donors.

• Develop a system of declaration of donations by parties; and

• Demand audited financial reports from political parties on annual basis as pre-requisite for continued state funding of each party.

Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Public Institutions

The BCP shall:

• Ensure that the Ombudsman and Auditor General are directly accountable to Parliament.

• Ensure that oversight institutions are made more accessible to the public and are capacitated to undertake their duties effectively.

• Ensure an open and transparent recruitment process for the Ombudsman by providing for vetting of candidates by a Parliamentary Select Committee.


Eliminating Corruption

The BCP aims to pursue zero tolerance for corruption. In this regard we shall:

• Undertake a comprehensive review of all relevant legislation dealing with and/or linked to corruption, including – but not limited to – the Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, the Finance and Audit Act, the Public Service Act, the Police Act, The Ombudsman Act, the Corruption and Economic Crime Act and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act.

• Enact, as a matter of urgency, the Freedom of Information Act, Disclosure of Assets and Liabilities, Conflict of Interest and Insider Trading;

• Make the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime truly independent by reporting directly to Parliament;

• Establish a special parliamentary committee on anti – corruption to monitor the work of the Directorate;

• Expand the Directorate and provide it with the necessary professional mix that can meet the demands of its job;

• Introduce a system of Declaration of Assets and Liabilities by senior civil servants, Chief Executives of parastatal organizations, judicial officers and Members of Parliament.

• Introduce a law to prohibit political and public officers from participating in decision making processes where their interests or those of their immediate relatives are involved (conflict of interest).

Combatting Crime and ensuring safety for all

The BCP shall;

• Ensure that the Police Service does not become the old Police Force by excluding soldiers from policing duties.

• Increase the budget for the Police Service in order to increase its capacity to meet the challenges of law enforcement.

• Increase the budget of the Prison Service to improve the welfare of offices and review the salary structure to align it with that of the Police Service.

• Improve the working conditions of all the security forces to retain qualified and quality staff and avoid a corrupt force.

• Allow for collective bargaining on conditions of service for the security sector.


• Develop schemes to divert juvenile offenders from crime and provide them with more rehabilitative environment away from hard core and regular offenders.

• Reduce overcrowding in Prisons by encouraging community sentencing and other alternatives to prison.

• Wage war on drug trafficking by strengthening the capacity of the Police and Customs and Excise to prevent drugs from coming into Botswana.

Enhancing Decentralisation to Promote Universal Access to Services

The BCP believes that effective development must be anchored on a decentralized system to allow for the voices of the people to inform planning and service delivery. To this end, the BCP government shall:

• Entrenching local government as a second tier of government in the constitution.

• Empowering local authorities to expand their revenue generating opportunities and reduce their reliance on central government for financial support. Councils will be empowered to decide on their recurrent and developmental budgets.

• Carry out an extensive review for all government departments to identify services that will be more efficiently delivered by local authorities in line with our policy of decentralization.

• Introduce a policy of executive chairpersons or mayors with powers to run their districts/towns.

• Creating efficient local government authorities by re-demarcating some of the existing sub-districts into fully fledged districts.

• Enhancing efficiency of local government by strengthening their capacity to attract and retain appropriately skilled personnel.

• Expand the mandate of local authorities to cover the provision of primary health care while the Ministry of Health focuses on policy formulation.

• Position local authorities to promote procurement of goods and services from businesses within their locality with a strong bias towards citizen owned companies


8. Promoting Gender Equality


Women in Botswana form 52% of the population, with women headed households equalling those of male headed households. Despite this dominance in numbers, women remain the most marginalized in society. The patriarchal nature of Botswana’s society, like in all known societies, has institutionalized the subordination of women, with the result that women have faced historical and current marginalization compared to men. Efforts to empower women have not yielded much success mainly because development processes have continued to espouse the patriarchal values and norms, which define women primarily as mothers and wives. This has to a large extent prevented society from seeing women as legitimate actors in the political, economic and social arenas of society. As a result society has not been able to provide the bridges and leverages that the majority of women need to transition to a level where they can participate as equal partners in development.

Inevitably therefore women face many challenges in life. These include limited access to higher education particularly in the areas of science and technology, high unemployment, high levels of vulnerability to diseases and limited access to social, political, economic and cultural resources. Other areas of concern are the low level of participation in business and political leadership. They also face endemic levels of violence.

8.2 Our Social Contract on Gender Development

BCP is committed to attaining equality between women and men in public and private life. To this end the BCP government shall:

• Establish the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gender Development and Culture to coordinate the mainstreaming of gender in all government ministries.

• Promote public awareness on issues of gender development.

• Introduce curriculum geared at promoting gender equality from an early age.

• Incorporate gender issues and analysis in all policy making and programe development in all sectors of the economy.


• Adopt, domesticate and ensure compliance with the SADC Gender Protocol, the Conventions on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and other conventions that seek to end discrimination and violence against women.

• Strengthen legal instruments to protect women. These will include among others, strengthening legal obligations of paternity and equality of access to property and inheritance.

• Facilitate economic justice for women: To this end, the party will mainstream gender issues in economic structures and policies. There will also be specific policies to ensure increased access for women to employment, credit facilities and appropriate training. Special attention will be given to the informal sector in rural and urban areas where women are over-represented.

• Tax incentives will be provided to companies and groups that support women’s economic projects.

• Strengthen Health Services for Women - emphasis here will be on improvement and strengthening of diagnostic and clinical technology and services to address women specific illnesses such as breast and cervical cancers.

• Make Education and Training more Accessible to Women - the curriculum and other school programmes and activities will address subject choices by girls to ensure girls entry into the science and technology streams in larger numbers.

• Promote the Participation of Women in Politics - the BCP shall introduce civic and leadership training programes to empower women. Furthermore affirmative action will be used as an instrument to ensure a fair representation of women at both local and national levels.


9. Sports Development and Youth Empowerment


Youth in Botswana are facing the following challenges of unemployment and underemployment, poverty, wealth and income inequality, unfriendly reproductive health system, a collapsing and irrelevant education system, lack of access to land and housing and economic opportunities as well as lack of representation in key decision making bodies.

9.2 Our social contract

To develop, nurture, and empower the youth to enable them to reach their full potential and meaningfully contribute to the development of the country, the BCP shall;

• Create consistency of laws, regulations, standards and practices in respect of age of majority for the youth.

• Entrench Affirmative Action in the Youth Policy to encourage youth representation in decision making.

• Set up a Youth Entrepreneurial Development Agency to assist youth with funding, training and development and capacity building for business.

• Introduce Employment Tax Incentive for companies that employ unemployed youth under the age of 36 to promote youth employment, training and skills development.

• Ratify and domesticate into legislation and implement all youth related conventions, charters and treaties to align youth laws with international best practices.

• To provide access to youth friendly reproductive health services and establish substance abuse rehabilitation centres.

• Set up skills development centres around the country to train and equip unskilled and unemployed youth.


9.3 Sports, Recreation and Arts Development

Situational Analysis

Sports, recreation, arts and entertainment are not adequately developed and remain under resourced. Consequently, below par achievements are common occurrences in all sporting codes. There is no professionalization of sporting activities.

Our social contract

To develop, professionalise and support sports, recreation, arts and entertainment, the BCP shall;

• Develop sports through public and private sports academies and introduce a competitive schools league in all sporting codes to identify and nurture talent at an early stage.

• Professionalise Sports through grants to premier sport divisions and attract investment and sponsorship through enactment of corporate social responsibility law.

• Build sporting and recreational Infrastructure to create a conducive environment for competitive sports and recreational activities.

• Unearth, develop, nurture and promote youth talent in visual arts, performing arts, and art performance through schools, theaters, youth centers.



Botswana’s foreign policy lacks clarity and vision. The country’s influence in the global community of nations is minimal, due mainly to five factors;

• Low profile and priority accorded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the current government.

• The appointment to foreign missions of persons who neither have the interest nor the competence in diplomatic relations.

• The indifference of the current Head of State towards participating in regional, continental and global forums such as SADC, AU and UN.

• Pursuing an isolationist stance on matters of international relations.

• Adequate resources to facilitate the work of foreign missions.

International trade is characterised by uncoordinated international campaigns for foreign investors that are not informed by the prevailing economic conditions in Botswana. There is no clearly defined strategy with targets to attract the kind of investor that is aligned with our developmental needs. No attempts are made to assist the Botswana business community to expand beyond our borders.

10.2 Our Social Contract on Foreign Affairs and International Trade

We will position Botswana to become a responsible citizen of the world, cooperating with international partners, actively participating in regional and international organizations and promoting our trade interests in our dealings with the rest of the world. The BCP shall;

• Constitute a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with a view to place trade at the core of our diplomatic relations. The appointment of officers to our foreign missions shall be influenced by their ability to attract investors to Botswana.

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade will also be responsible for promoting Botswana businesses in international markets. Given the small

10. Foreign Affairs and International Trade


size of the Botswana market, it will be a key priority for the Government to assist Botswana companies to expand their operations beyond Botswana.

• Reposition Botswana Development Corporation as government’s investment arm, together with other government owned companies, to pursue investment opportunities in foreign countries, particularly emerging economies. Such outward investment missions will primarily be pursued through joint ventures between Batswana entrepreneurs and the government owned companies.

• Staff all foreign missions with well trained and skilled investment promotion experts with a good appreciation of both the Botswana business sector and the global economy.

• Actively participate in regional, continental and international organizations to advance good governance at a global level.

• Promote the engagement of Batswana professionals in international organizations.

• Subject all international treaties, conventions and protocols to ratification by Parliament.

• Participate in the Peer Review Mechanism under NEPAD to continuously modernise our democracy and assist other African countries to learn from our experiences.

BCP Shadow Cabinet

Motsei RapelanaPresidential, Constitutional Affairs and Public AdministrationGaborone North

Akanyang MagamaMinerals, Energy and Water ResourcesGaborone South

David TshereHealth

Mahalapye West

Morgan MosekiPresidential, Constitutional Affairs and Public AdministrationFrancistown East

Tiny KojaneEnvironment, Wildlife and Tourism

Mmathete-Molapowabojang

ASSISTANT MINISTERS

Taolo LucasAgriculture and Rural DevelopmentBobirwa

Phillip BulawaHigher Education

Tati West

Aron BagalatiaBasic Education

Okavango

Habaudi HubonaHealth

Francistown West

Dumelang SaleshandoPresidentGaborone Central

Kesitegile GobotswangVice-PresidentSefhare-Ramokgonami

BCP Shadow Cabinet

Batisani MaswibililiEconomic Development and FinanceSpecially Elected Nominee

Anna MotlhagodiBusiness Development and Citizen EmpowermentGaborone Bonnington North

James MasisiForeign Affairs and International TradeSpecially Elected Nominee

Goretetse KekgonegileLabour

Maun East

Isaac MabiletseLands and Housing

Mochudi East

James OlesitseInfrastructure, Communication and TechnologyPalapye

Elsie AlexanderHome Affairs, GenderDevelopment and CultureSpecially Elected Nominee

Richard WhiteLands and Housing

Kgalagadi South

Lebohang LetsieLocal Government

Specially Elected Nominee

Brains KwadipaneYouth and Sports

Ghanzi South

Nthusang M. DibeBusiness Development and Citizen Empowerment

Gabane-Mankgodi

Alfred PilaneAgriculture and Rural Development

Mochudi West

Kgoberego NkawanaEnvironment, Wildlife and TourismSelibe-Phikwe East

Kentse RammidiLocal Government

Kanye North

Dithapelo KeorapetseYouth and Sports

Selibe Phikwe West


P O Box 2918, Gaborone

Plot 364, Independence Avenue, Gaborone

Tel: +267 3181805

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2014-2019 manifesto ready to lead - elections …electionsbotswana.org/manifesto/bcp 2014...

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