By law, powers and functions are devolved to local government but the ruling Zanu-PF’s ideology is to control municipalities
The Botswana Democratic Party suffered a humiliating defeat in last week’s parliamentary elections
Exorbitant electricity tariffs and longer stages of load-shedding have forced consumers to urgently seek off-grid alternatives
By growing the revenue base and collecting revenue owed by people who can pay for these services, municipalities will be in a position to fund non-revenue generating social services
The Covid-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented widening of the budget deficit and a spike in debt stock but a commodity price surge gave the treasury room to breathe.
Economists predict the finance minister will speak about the basic income grant, the effect of the July riots on the fiscus, and bailouts
Wildlife rangers are out of work and reduced patrols abet poaching
Government spending has reached a record 41.7% of GDP, and the budget deficit has widened from 5.7% in 2019 to an estimated 14%
Experts offer their advice about what Finance Minister Tito Mboweni should focus on in next week’s budget speech