Botswana councillor hails President

Herald Reporter
A Botswana councillor has challenged President Ian Khama’s government to emulate President Mugabe’s indigenisation and empowerment policies and stop foreigners from looting their minerals with little benefits for locals.
According to reports from Botswana, the Democratic Party’s councillor for Monarch South, Mr Ignatius Moswaane, said he “preferred President Mugabe’s leadership style when it comes to dealing with investors in the mining industry”.
“I wish President Robert Mugabe could be the leader of this country because we would have enjoyed our shares and benefits,” he said.
The councillor said he agreed with the many people who see President Mugabe as the answer to Africa’s problems. Mr Moswaane said the time was ripe for Botswana to introduce empowerment programmes like Zimbabwe’s.
He singled out mining and suggested that Batswana have a 50 percent shareholding in local mines.
The report said most councillors in Francistown were unhappy that Botswana was not benefiting from its mineral resources. After embarking on a successful land redistribution exercise in 2000, Zimbabwe launched the indigenisation and economic empowerment programme.
The programme seeks to empower indigenous people by giving them a 51 stake in all foreign-owned firms with a value of at least US$500 000. Government is also working on statutory instruments to give effect to its policy on State participation in all mining ventures.