Industry and Commerce Secretary Grilled Over Citizen Access to Reserved Sectors

By Anyway Yotamu

Industry and Commerce Permanent Secretary, Dr. Thomas Utete Wushe came under intense scrutiny on Tuesday as lawmakers pressed him on whether ordinary citizens are truly benefiting from reserved economic sectors.

Dr. Wushe appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce, chaired by Zaka South MP Clemence Chiduwa.

He faced tough questions over the effectiveness of government empowerment initiatives and the legal framework governing citizen participation in key industries.

At the heart of the debate is the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, which reserves specific sectors—such as retail, transport and personal services like barber shops and salons—for Zimbabwean nationals.

But parliamentarians argue that implementation has fallen short, especially in high-value sectors like mining.

“Are citizens really empowered, or is this just policy on paper?” one lawmaker asked during the session.

Dr. Wushe defended the government’s position, pointing to constitutional constraints and ongoing efforts to revive Community Share Ownership Trusts designed to channel benefits from natural resource exploitation to local communities.

“Let’s understand that this is a constitutional issue. It’s embedded in our laws that those involved in extractive industries have an obligation to ensure local communities benefit,” Wushe said.

He added that 60 community share ownership trusts across the country are expected to be operational by year’s end.

“Cabinet has already discussed the issue—on June 3—and we’ve been tasked with developing a new implementation framework, which we’ll present in three weeks. We’ll also seek input from this committee,” Wushe told lawmakers.

Still, the Committee was not convinced, particularly about the absence of a comprehensive, enforceable empowerment law following the amendment of the original act via the Finance Act.

“The amendment effectively scrapped the Empowerment Act. What we have now is a gentleman’s agreement between the ministers of finance, industry, and mines. That’s not legally binding. Meanwhile, Botswana thrives on diamonds alone, and we have over 40 minerals with little to show for it,” said Chiduwa. “

He called for legal reforms to ensure communities directly benefit from the country’s vast mineral wealth.

“We cannot keep relying on informal agreements. This is about accountability—and we, as a committee, will play our oversight role to the fullest.” he said