Motswana Are Sidelined

MINE is an issue that might be regarded as trivial yet I find it very relevant and disturbing in a democracy such as Namibia has.

I write as a concerned Motswanawa-Namibia. Although the Batswana people are not indigenous to Namibia the fact that we have been here for over a hundred years should surely count for something? We are, admittedly, only a handful and of that only a very small faction has a good Grade 12 and an even smaller faction a tertiary education but still, they are there.Now with the previously disadvantaged and the marginalised always being given an advantage in advertised posts/vacancies, be it the City Police or the Fire Brigade (I mention these as I know of several of my brethren having applied for those jobs) one would think that there would be a sizeable number of the Batswana people getting into jobs, as I know of quite a number of qualifying candidates applying for such posts yet they rarely get into these jobs.Why is that? Is it an issue of us being outnumbered? Although around for over a century it seems Tswanas do not meet the “properly Namibian” grade, its either that or the people deciding who are to be recruited are looking out for their own only, which leaves the Motswana in a rather precarious position as there are not many of us in a position to give preference to us.The concern here is that as a result of not being included in mainstream employment our youth go back to the villages of Mokaleng, Metsweding, Ben Hur, Motsomi, Hukus and Plasana where they indulge in alcohol, marijuana, promiscuous sex and theft as pastimes.This in turn perpetuates the vicious circle of crime and poverty.There is no powerful Motswana in the Swapo structures who will whisper a word of concern in the ear of the powerful people in the Swapo gGovernment to what happens to our people? I guess we will be reduced to the sidelines as spectators watching others eating the cake and salivating as we fade into oblivion.Keolebogile Chaune WindhoekAlthough the Batswana people are not indigenous to Namibia the fact that we have been here for over a hundred years should surely count for something? We are, admittedly, only a handful and of that only a very small faction has a good Grade 12 and an even smaller faction a tertiary education but still, they are there.Now with the previously disadvantaged and the marginalised always being given an advantage in advertised posts/vacancies, be it the City Police or the Fire Brigade (I mention these as I know of several of my brethren having applied for those jobs) one would think that there would be a sizeable number of the Batswana people getting into jobs, as I know of quite a number of qualifying candidates applying for such posts yet they rarely get into these jobs.Why is that? Is it an issue of us being outnumbered? Although around for over a century it seems Tswanas do not meet the “properly Namibian” grade, its either that or the people deciding who are to be recruited are looking out for their own only, which leaves the Motswana in a rather precarious position as there are not many of us in a position to give preference to us.The concern here is that as a result of not being included in mainstream employment our youth go back to the villages of Mokaleng, Metsweding, Ben Hur, Motsomi, Hukus and Plasana where they indulge in alcohol, marijuana, promiscuous sex and theft as pastimes.This in turn perpetuates the vicious circle of crime and poverty.There is no powerful Motswana in the Swapo structures who will whisper a word of concern in the ear of the powerful people in the Swapo gGovernment to what happens to our people? I guess we will be reduced to the sidelines as spectators watching others eating the cake and salivating as we fade into oblivion.Keolebogile Chaune Windhoek