26 Feb 2025

Selebi Phikwe West MP, Mr Reuben Kaizer  has applauded Selebi Phikwe schools for doing well in the 2024 final year examinations in both Primary School Living Examinations (PSLE) and Junior Certificate Examinations (JCE).
 Based on the continuous and excellent performance of schools in Selebi Phikwe, Mr Kaizer said, the town must house the as education ministry headquarters.
He said Selebi Phikwe had been doing well in education, it deserved a reward.
Commenting on the budget speech on Monday, Mr Kaizer said of 14 primary schools in the town, the lowest performing school attained 83 per cent with the top three attaining 100 per cent in PSLE, whilst in JCE the lowest performing junior secondary school was at 53.2 per cent with the top attaining 74.9 per cent.
Commenting on issues concerning people with disabilities saying the budget speech was silent .
He said care givers for people with disabilities were also left despite committing their time and resources to caring for the disabled and suggested that government must remunerate them.
Mr Kaizer also said companies doing business with government were affected by either late or non-payment, therefore resulting in some businesses collapsing or failing to pay their employees.  
He said Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) dreamt big in its campaigns giving the nation hope of improved livelihoods.
Mr Kaizer said UDC was now focused on making right all the wrongs associated with the past Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government.
Mr Kaizer said UDC was yet to focus on its mandate.
He said it was upon leadership to accept that they were failing in implementing their manifesto.
Therefore, he said, UDC must admit this as there was nothing in the budget relating to what was in their manifesto.
He said the country’s economy was more in the hands of foreigners who mostly owned residential and commercial property.
Mr Kaizer also said the economy remained un-diversified as the country was reliant on revenue generated by SACU and diamonds.
He said Selebi Phikwe presented a potential to diversify the economy. He advised government to revive the copper mine in Selebi Phikwe, because copper was now receiving better sales than diamonds.
Mr Kaizer said the budget was silent on creation of employment. He said the country was poor because Batswana do not own the means of production.
“To be independent, one must own means of production,” he said.  
He said since the closure of the mine, SPEDU had been the sole hope of reviving Selebi Phikwe economy. ENDS