Mohwasa hails UDC performance

Two years into its five-year mandate, the UDC-led government says it has moved several of its election promises from commitments on paper to tangible benefits for Batswana, although a number of key pledges remain unfinished.Minister for State Presidency, Defence and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, said the government’s mid-term assessment should not be based on announcements, but on what had actually been delivered and how many citizens had benefited.Presenting the government’s mid-term report in Parliament, Mohwasa said the administration had made “substantial implementation” progress despite difficult fiscal conditions.He pointed to increased social protection, higher student allowances, improved benefits for public officers, the settlement of inherited supplier debts, progress on BDF pension claims and an extensive programme of legislative reforms.Among the most significant interventions, Mohwasa said, was the increase in the old-age pension to P1,400, which was paid to 154,243 eligible citizens in August alone.Government paid P216 million in old-age pensions during the month, while P2.05 billion was spent on the programme during the 2025/26 financial year.However, Mohwasa acknowledged that the pension remains below the government’s original P1, 800 commitment.The government has also introduced a P300 monthly Child Support Grant for eligible children in their first year of life. By August, P11.5 million had been paid to 7,727 beneficiaries, including eligible arrears dating back to April.Education support has also increased, with TVET allowances rising from P300 to P1,900 per month, while the off-campus living allowance for government-sponsored tertiary students increased from about P1, 920 to P2, 200.Between May and July 2026, approximately P239 million was paid under the revised tertiary allowance rates. Mohwasa, however, admitted that the P2,500 tertiary allowance commitment had not yet been reached.On public servants, he said about 88,000 employees in salary bands A to D benefited from increased housing and upkeep allowances between April 2025 and August 2026, resulting in an additional P630 million being paid.Government has also made progress in settling its outstanding obligations, with 5,227 supplier invoices valued at P1.7 billion, together with a P362 million balance owed to one supplier, settled by January 2025.Mohwasa said 31,523 supplier invoices worth P6.91 billion were submitted and paid in July 2026.The minister also reported progress on the long-running BDF pension matter, with 4,725 of 5,979 confirmed claims paid by August 14, representing 79 per cent.He said outstanding claims for living veterans were expected to be paid by the end of September, while claims involving deceased veterans were expected to be concluded by December, subject to estate processes.On employment, Mohwasa highlighted the Public Service Insourcing Programme, which targets approximately 9,380 jobs in cleaning, gardening and security.Of 4,909 eligible temporary employees under the first two phases, 4,366, or 89 per cent, have been absorbed into permanent public service positions.A further 4,471 positions have been created under Phase Three. Mohwasa said government expects to save about P100 million by bringing services previously provided by private contractors in-house.The minister also reported that the Government Investment Account had grown from approximately P250 million at the end of December 2024 to about P5 billion by July 2026, although he cautioned that fiscal recovery was not yet complete.On legislation, Mohwasa said the government had processed more than 35 Bills and seven policies during the second parliamentary session, including legislation dealing with gambling, financial intelligence, proceeds of crime, married persons’ property and counter-terrorism.Three major policies; National Health Insurance, National Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and National Migration — were also processed during the latest parliamentary meeting.Mohwasa said the government’s international engagements had also opened potential investment opportunities, including the proposed P13 billion 500MW Oman Solar Plant in Maun, a more than P6 billion Tshele Hills FuelPlant, a P2.2 billion UAE credit line for medical supplies and a proposed P26 billion Albadad Convention Centre in Gaborone.But despite the progress, Mohwasa stressed that the government was not claiming to have completed its mandate.He acknowledged that some commitments remained outstanding, including the P1, 800 old-age pension and P2, 500 tertiary allowance, while the sanitary-pad programme continued to experience supply challenges.“The central task is therefore clear: consolidate what has begun, correct what is not working, accelerate what is behind schedule and measure success increasingly by outcomes rather than activity,” he said.Mohwasa said the real test of the government’s remaining years in office would be whether more people were working, elderly citizens were living with greater dignity, young people could study without financial hardship, and citizens could see and feel that government was working.

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Mohwasa hails UDC performance