ON BOTSWANA LAUNCHING BOT-SAT 1 SATELLITE IN 2023

The nation has mixed reactions to President Masisi announcing that Botswana will launch a satellite into orbit in 2023. Here are some of the views:

LET’S PUSH FRONTIERS

Conventional economic pathways are evidently overwhelmed, we need to traverse new pathways outside existing paradigms. Let’s not fear to explore the science based route as our people are very intelligent so they can easily do it; let’s push frontiers of their science and technology knowledge. Gatwe BOT-SAT 1 will be launched into orbit in 2023, re ta a leta ka tsholohelo. [OTHUSITSE JOHN]

CAN THIS ONE BE TRUE

Mr President, you have just told the whole nation that we are launching a satellite into orbit come 2023. Such exciting news Mr President – but may this one turn out to be a true promise Mr President. You know how you have in the past promised us manna from heaven only to get nothing – not even the M of manna. Mr President we have become accustomed to you saying one thing and meaning the other. Please don’t change tomorrow and say we are doing components of a satellite. You told us we are getting an electric car but months later changed to say we will only be manufacturing components. My President.

[TSHEPO MOLEFE]

HOW ABOUT BASICS?

But how about basics? Nutrition, medical products and consumables, road infrastructure for transportation, employment etc. Are we really going to shoot for the moon when we have no surface structure to land on? Anyway hi jack.

[LYNX MAJA]

BIG UP MR PRESIDENT

BIUST is developing to a great centre of knowledge and innovation. Palapye is becoming a host of foreign observers to the satellite. I trust this government with my life. Big up Mr President. Baganetsi ga re ba tshwae phoso ke tiro ya bone. Koore hela ha go sena go diragala ga ba kgone go boela ko go wena ba re ehe, o ne o raya jaana.

[ONTHATILE SABOI]

TACKLE PRIORITY ISSUES

Mr President, please, FIRST THING FIRST: Unemployment rate is too high. We are amongst countries with bad roads with horrible accidents occurring on these bad roads which killed many people. Corruption must fall Mr President, work hard on that one because it’s the one that causes the above mentioned. The satellite must wait, complete the above first, then the rest will follow [MOKGANEDI KGOSIEMANG]

SATELITE FOR WHAT?

Re dira eng ka SETHALAETE lo sa lere madi ra tlhama ditiro ra theogela - and DECENT JOBS TO BE PRECISE. Re tlaa maintain SETHALAETE jang e le mo lefaufaung re palelwa hela ke go thiba PIPE ya metsi hela e le mo go dimo ga lehatshe? Ao.

[LOPANG RAMATSIPELE]

LE A MAKATSA KANA

Le tsaya kae sathalaete le sena le haele terena ya mma terena, ke raa ka le tsone difolamachini tsa lona e kare ditonkana le dirisa tsa tourism tse di pegang batho ba le 5 e kare di Honda fit! Laa makatsa kana lona. [VOLTAGE SEIPATO]

DO WE HAVE EXPERTS

Ya Botswana e tsile go timela or e wa

or maybe ba sa itse gore e bereka jang.

Most of our engineers are just engineers by position and qualification not by practice. Do we even have space department? Let alone people who have an idea what a satellite is, not just in books? [GILBERTO KETENG]

WHITHER THE MONEY?

The economy is not where it’s supposed to be, ga gona madi, so many things have been stopped or reduced because ga gona madi: the promised electric car is nowhere and all of a sudden we have billions to build a rocket? Come on now, what is this? [TSHEGOFATSO MARUMOAGAE]

I LOVE SPACE SCIENCE

Good move. I have been waiting for this, it is long overdue. Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Zambia have launched or are launching their satellites, let’s do this Botswana. We are going digital and this is a must. It is up to the Ministry responsible to have all Batswana rally behind and support this initiative. It has great benefits for the local science projects. My Botswana My Pride. The day it is launched into orbit, have all schools witness it live, broadcast on radio and all media cover this. I love space science and so do my kids. God bless us all Batswana

[STALIN MAKATHAYI]

NOT ALL OF US UNDERSTAND

Some guy on DumaFM dismissively remarks: “A ko o mpolelle gore gatwe di-satellite di berekang? Ke utlwile hela gotwe di-satellite.” On the contrary yesterday I heard a lady in a shop worryingly remarking: “Gatwe Simbakwe e launchitse satellite rona re setse mo

Botswana re phalwa le ke ene Simbakwe hela wa Simbakwe.” What a world! Kana

it means someone so ill-informed may just go with this dismissive guy and not seek to get to understand the benefits of Botswana launching her own satellite. [JAYSON SECHELE]