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People in Botswana have reacted with outrage on social media after the federal government requested residents to donate cash to reward the nation’s historic gold-medal profitable Olympic staff.
The fund could be a manner for residents to honour the athletes by “contributing rewards to our champions”, mentioned the federal government in a press release on Monday.
Letsile Tebogo introduced glory to Botswana after he turned the primary African athlete to win the lads’s 200m on the Olympics, bringing house the nation’s first ever gold medal.
But the federal government’s request for donations has halted celebrations for some, who query why their taxes aren’t getting used to reward the Olympians.
“We are already paying tax, give our champions [sic] money from the government purse,” raged one person on Facebook.
The Botswana authorities didn’t reply to the Daily News’s request for remark and it’s unclear if they’re additionally contributing to the reward pot.
“I would love to donate in support of the boy’s historic achievement, but unfortunately, I’m currently an unemployed electrical engineering graduate with a bachelor’s degree,” one person mentioned.
Another advised that the cupboard lead by instance and donate 25% of their salaries.
Other nations in Africa have typically rewarded the winners of Olympic gold medals, or the Africa Cup of Nations, with homes or lump sums of money.
Botswana has one of many highest ranges of revenue per head in Africa, but in addition one of many world’s highest charges of youth unemployment, in line with Afrobarometer.
Although Botswana is among the world’s largest producers of diamonds, the southern African nation has just lately skilled a stoop in diamond revenues, forcing the federal government to chop spending, in line with Bloomberg.
Despite the objection to the fund, there have been some voices of assist for the Olympic reward pot.
One individual enthusiastically advised the fund be opened for anybody throughout the continent to ship cash.
“Open it to all Africans, I want to contribute from Kenya,” mentioned one voice of assist.
Tebego set an African document 19.46 seconds within the 200m, and likewise gained a silver medal within the males’s 4x400m relay alongside his teammates.
On Tuesday, tens of 1000’s of individuals gathered within the National Stadium within the capital, Gaborone, to welcome the Olympic staff house after President Mokgweetsi Masisi declared it a half-day vacation.
