http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=1&aid=95&dir=2011%2FAugust%2FMonday29&fb_comment_id=fbc_10150286911752758_19188659_10150287667602758#f284e561539ea7

Maun Animal Welfare Society (MAWS) has recently visited the dump to dart these feral dogs. The dogs are in a good condition and a number of them have now been sterilised and vaccinated. We also removed 7 puppies for rehoming.

We believe that the dogs should NOT be shot because:

A) not all of the dogs have been involved in the alleged goat attacks
B) we do not agree with killing healthy animals
C) killing these sterilised and vaccinated dogs simply opens up the dump for more feral dogs to move in - dogs that have NOT been sterilised or vaccinated
D) having spent a day darting dogs at the dump we do not believe the Council is capable of shooting and killing these dogs in a humane manner.

Whilst we agree that something needs to be done about Maun's stray dog population, we believe that the Council should focus their efforts on trying to find a humane solution in conjunction with MAWS.

A similar campaign was undertaken by the Council in Kasane recently. Local people in Kasane report that the council gunmen were incapable of humanely shooting the dogs and that during the campaign numerous dogs died an agonising death due to blood loss from limbs which had been shot off and other horrific injuries.

Is this what we want Maun's many international tourists to remember about Botswana? Mutilated dogs dying in agony because the Council did not seek a humane solution?

MAWS has been operating since 2003 and has treated more than 7,000 dogs... all we ask is for is the opportunity to discuss this decision with the Council before it is implemented.

“Botswana’s only national survey of GBV prevalence levels revealed that GBV is vastly underreported; only 1 in 9 women who were raped reported it to the police. Despite ongoing attempts to address barriers to women’s access to justice, such as attitudes of justice sector officials and gaps in the legal framework, 26 successful conviction rates were less than 1% of GBV experienced.” (DFID VAWG helpdesk, May 2019). I believe one of the main reasons for this is because most cases are not followed through with the sensitivity and dedication required to bring the perpetrators to justice. Therefore the message that is being sent out to the nation is that sex crimes and gender based violence is not taken seriously hence perpetrators often go unconvicted by the law.

It has also come to my attention from several people on social media platforms that Police often lack sensitivity when dealing with rape victims and victims of gender based violence, which causes more embarrassment to victims.

https://www.sddirect.org.uk/media/1843/vawg-helpdesk-report-236-botswana-gbv-factsheet-may-2019.pdf

Unfortunately, over the years, the government has failed to keep its word to the people as trucks have been used as common practice to transport students back home during school breaks and during school trips. Such has not only compromised the dignity of public school students but also much more importantly, their safety.

On Friday 13 November 2015, an overloaded truck carrying 126 Matsha Senior students subsided causing casualties and injuries on many of the passengers. Such has been he ultimate demise of myopic acts of ignorance on the part of the Government and school administrations.

Places like Gaborone and Phalapye have accelerated their developments in past decade while our people here are starved and treated as 2nd class citizens.

Our view is that there is no political will to see our city develop. Youth unemployment, centralisation of resources and decision making and lack of developments remain serious challenges to people in Francistown. Note that with no development this will result with massive migration to other parts of Botswana leading to Francistown being a ghost city.

We cannot continue to be silent while the leadership in this country discriminate against people from our region. Note that resources that has developed this country comes from this place. Currently people here can stay for weeks without water while our region receives the highest rainfall and all you concerned with is building a pipeline to Gaborone and other parts of the country.

In his State of the Nation address on 7 November 2011 His Excellency The President blamed lack of professionalism and effective regulation for the corruption. However the remedies proposed did not include regulation of professionals...