16 Jun 2014

The youth in the Okavango Sub-district have been urged to use the knowledge and skills they have acquired from different institutions to develop the Okavango area.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Shakawe recently, the area MP, Mr Bagalatia Arone said the youth should struggle to develop their district rather than enjoying overstaying in towns.

Mr Arone expressed concern that some people, especially the youth, ignored their area as well as their parents and enjoyed to stay in towns.

He urged them to refrain from the habit and come back to take care of their families. “The issue is disheartening because most villages in the Okavango area are underdeveloped as most of the educated lot has relocated to towns and other places other than using their knowledge and skills to develop the Okavango region,” he said.

Furthermore, he urged the Village Development Committee (VDC) members in the area to use the money they get through rentals of houses to make developments in their respective villages.

He said he was aware that some VDC houses did not have electricity; hence it was difficult to attract tenants. “You could be using the money you receive each month to build a community hall or even better houses that will attract public officers. It does not mean we can always rely on the government because you have the potential and the resources,” he said.

He also advised them to build a cultural village that will generate money for them through tourism adventures. The MP also pleaded with the Okavango Brigade representatives to include tourism courses in their curriculum for the benefit of the students to start looking for business opportunities in the Okavango delta.

He also urged the Okavango electorate to vote in large numbers in the upcoming general elections and advised them to put their voter’s registration and Omang cards safely.Furthermore, he asked the youth to keep on checking their parent’s Omang cards expiring dates so as to renew them on time and take part in the general elections.

On other issues, MP Arone expressed concern about the way elders are being treated when signing the life declaration certificate forms after every three months.

He said the relevant organization should be the one which visits them instead of making the elders visit the offices to fill in the forms. Mr Arone said it is disappointing because some elders are transported by donkey carts to the post offices and asked the relevant organization to re-visit the way they were doing things for the benefit of the elders.  ENDS