01 Jun 2014

Molepolole North MP, Mr Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri, is happy that tthis year's national budget is ideal for the transformation of the socio-economy of Molepolole. 

Addressing a recent kgotla meeting at Ratshosa ward in Molepolole, Mr Matlhabaphiri, who is also the Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration said the allocation had shown that it had started to benefit Molepolole residents at large. 

The MP said the water situation in the village was improving and only a few wards like Kgosing and Lekgwapheng still experienced water shortage. He added that the situation would not persist as the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources was toiling to fix the situation.

He further explained that there were future projections concerning the water situation, which would finally put the predicament to a halt nationwide. He said project implementations were set to derive water from dams from the north of the country to other parts of the country to address water shortage problems.

MP Matlhabaphiri further explained that the pipe lines were set to establish the carriage water from Letsibogo Dam through Palapye to the southern parts of Botswana including Molepolole. Because of that he said boreholes in the affected areas would be used as reserves eventually.

He pointed out that, for a long time, Molepolole had missed on developments because of lack of better sewerage system, adding that the budget allocation was addressing the situation in the Molepolole and Kanye sewer system line construction this year. 

The MP also said the sewerage system would allow bigger projects and developments to be erected in Molepolole leading to improved standard of living.

Moreover, he said used water from sewerage systems was further set to be sterilised and re-used; hence another strategy to address water situation in Molepolole and country wide.

He told the residents that he was aware that the back yard garden programme rolled out to residents under the Poverty Eradication Program has failed in the past due to water shortage.

As such a proposal would be made to the government to cancel all the debt and water bills accrued as a result back yard garden projects and prepaid water system to be installed in all the beneficiaries’ yards so they could resume their back yards on a clean slate. 

Concerning electricity, the MP further revealed that the Botswana Power Cooperation was ready to tackle the electricity situation which also had lingered on the heads of the residents for a long time. He said transformers were to be mounted in places where there was electricity shortage such as at Lekgwapheng, Ranta, and Bokaa.

The MP further noted that even places which were classified as out of the village electricity map were to benefit from the standard electricity connection fee. He said even the increment of Ipelegeng, Old Age Pension, and Home Based Care programs had proven to be of good cause to most beneficiaries. 

Meanwhile, the residents of Ratshosa Ward confirmed that indeed the water situation had improved in their area. They also applauded government for the allowance increment as a positive development. 

The vice Chairman of the Village Development Committee (VDC) Mokganedi Ratladi said indeed a lot of things were coming in place; Poverty Eradication Program in their ward was doing well as people had been assessed and were awaiting equipment. Ends