STAGE DEMONSTRATIONS

Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) Parliamentary candidate for Gaborone Bonnington South Ketlhalefile Motshegwa says the country should strive to be export-orientated. He stated that the creation of 100 000 jobs in 12 months can be achieved if the country changes its way of doing things, which UDC has promised as one of its key priorities when it attains state power. Motshegwa who was speaking during a political rally this past weekend said the UDC Manifesto explicitly states how that would be attained. The UDC will be launching its manifesto in Maun on Saturday. According to Motshegwa, a renowned unionist, Botswana should strive to be export-orientated so that decent jobs could be created. As things stand, he said, the country is importing almost everything. He said Batswana deserve decent jobs and decent living. He explained that Batswana do not benefit from the economy of their country due to corruption. “As a matter of urgency and moral orientation, the economy of this country must be put in the hands of the indigenous Batswana.” To address this, Motshegwa said there is need for a deliberate, radical and practical transformation of economic dynamics for the benefit of indigenous Batswana. “Our economic policies must competently give Batswana decent living and prosperity, with focus particularly on the poor and the working class who are painfully on the margins of the economy,” Motshegwa told a weekend rally in Gaborone. He posited that the country also needs an education-production system where graduates could be easily absorbed into the market. Currently, Motshegwa said, graduates are not market ready, which also contributes to high levels of unemployment. “We want social security benefits such as insurance, medical aid and pension for our lowly paid cadres. This can only be realised if we have decent jobs. “We can derive such jobs in the manufacturing, mining and tourism sectors among others. These are some of the areas where we have exported jobs instead of goods and services. The status quo calls for these classes of the poor and workers to get up and unite in calling for a share in the economy. “They must stage demonstrations and all sorts of campaigns to put their agenda and aspirations at the forefront of public policy,” he said.