6th May 2025
Own Correspondent
The Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa today confirmed that the Government is currently reviewing the Bogosi Act of 2008 after completing consultations with relevant stakeholders.
The draft bill has been submitted to Attorney General’s and is expected to come before Parliament in July 2025 with details vague about what reforms it carries.
Traditional leaders will however be engaged to develop a national moral code to lay the foundation for community building in the midst of social ills such as the Gender based violence, schools’ violence and increasing passion killings.
Government says it is also committed to reforms around old age pension as per ruling party manifesto.
“Consultations with the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs and other stakeholders indicate
that as of March 2025, there are approximately 76,079 individuals aged 60-64 years and
143,050 individuals aged 65 years and above, totaling 219,129 potential old age pension beneficiaries,” said Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs.
He said, “The calculated monthly cost of increasing the old age pension allowance alone is
P394,432,200, excluding agency fees and related costs like social benefits system upgrades.”
Motshegwa stressed that a comparative analysis of old age pension schemes in Europe, Asia (India), and Africa (South Africa) reveals that international best practice emphasizes universal pension systems, ensuring a basic income for all older persons above a defined age.
“The government is committed to lowering the age from 65 to 60 years and implementing the
P1,800 monthly allowance. The P1,400 monthly allowance commenced in April 2025,” said Motshegwa.
Guidelines for implementation of Old Age Pensions(OAP) will be operational in July 2025. Ipelegeng
will also be transformed into a Public Works Programme as per ruling party manifesto.
The Programme is expanding to include training in the areas of Agriculture and Tourism sectors, diversifying its impact and addressing broader economic needs.
Specific skill development areas will include:
Agriculture: Crop Production and Management, Agricultural Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Greenhouse Farming and Hydroponics.
Tourism: Community Based Tourism, Handicrafts, Photography, and Film Services. The Ministry through Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs managed to convene a successful meeting with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to enhance the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISDC) and transform it into a fully Expanded Public Works Programme.
The programme document through technical support from ILO has been drafted and will be shared with relevant stakeholders.
Officials say draft programme document will be shared with International Labour Organization(ILO) in May 2025 and the final Ipelegeng programme document will be ready by June 2025. Improve Home Grown School Feeding Programme
Progress is also ongoing on the incorporation of fish farming into the Botswana Home Grown School Feeding Programme in Kgatleng east constituency primary and secondary schools in progress.
Validation of the revised school feeding meals for primary and secondary schools is also ongoing with the new Government committed to furthering decentralization to improve service delivery.
