Private Sector lacks Aggression – Molebatsi – The Business Weekly & Review

Uses SA’s as an example of an aggressive private sector Minister Molao to lead delegation to SA for talks over import ban Northern Bureau FRANCISTOWN: The Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Molebatsi Molebatsi on Tuesday threw down the gauntlet and accused the private sector of failing to confront the government with vigour over its shortcomings. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type="show" ihc_mb_who="1,2,3,4" ihc_mb_template="3" ] Falling short of calling the country’s private sector the weakest link in transforming Botswana, Minister Molebatsi told the two-day 16 th National Business Conference (NBC) here that there is a need for the sector to be more aggressive. Molebatsi said he expected strong deliberations from the private sector and challenged it to take the government to task where it falls short before exhorting it for cutting-edge ideas on how to transform Botswana from an upper middle income economy to high income status. “I expected stronger conversations here,” he pressed on. In other countries, the private sector is very forceful in holding the government accountable.” He had earlier qualified his outlook as that of a businessperson rather than a politician. Molebatsi held up the private sector in South African as an example of what he was saying in the instance of how business in the neighbouring country is pressurising the government to initiate a dialogue with Botswana towards lifting the latter’s ban on importation of fresh produce from South Africa that was imposed on New Year’s Day this year. The ban on a wide range of fresh produce and other horticultural products, including tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, garlic, onions, ginger, turmeric, chilli peppers, butternut, watermelons, sweet peppers, herbs, and green mealies. Botswana’s stated rationale for the import ban is to protect the local agricultural sector and decrease the country’s P9.2 billion per year food import bill. According to records from South Africa’s National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC), between 2017 and 2021 South Africa’s annual potato exports to the global market averaged R705 million, R108 million was from Botswana. Molebatsi said it is against this background that the South African private sector, Agri SA in particular, has been putting pressure on the President Cyril Ramaphosa and his administration to seek a meeting with Botswana. To that end, the Minister of Agriculture, Fidelis Molao, is expected to lead a delegation that will include trade and industry minister Mmusi Kgafela to a meeting with the South African Minister of Agriculture, Thoko Didiza, at a date yet to be decided on. Officially opening the conference earlier, President Mokgweetsi Masisi called upon the private sector to raise productivity levels in order to help keep inflation in check. “An environment of high productivity and low and stable inflation would pave the way for us to achieve a high-income status,” the President said. “I look forward to cutting-edge ideas from this conference on how to boost productivity so as to maintain a low and stable inflationary environment.” [/ihc-hide-content]

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Private Sector lacks Aggression – Molebatsi

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