21 Aug 2014

The Vice President, Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe says it is the responsibility of all Batswana to contribute towards the development of the country.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Robelela on August  20 where he bid farewell to residents, Dr Kedikilwe said Batswana should use their God-given talents to start viable projects to sustain their lives economically and play a role in developing their village and country respectively.

He said by starting sustainable projects that would create employment for other Batswana, they would be directly contributing towards uplifting the lives of fellow Batswana and also to the economy of the country. 

He added that government had availed programmes to empower Batswana and they should take advantage of such initiatives to economically empower themselves.

He said civil servants had been availed to serve and provide the expertise to Batswana to realise their projects’ potential.

Dr Kediklwe urged Batswana to strive to be self-reliant and independent hence he called upon Robelela residents to resuscitate the Poultry Association project that collapsed.

He told the residents that the project was meant to create employment for youth and help bring developments to the village.

He said one of the objectives of the Rural Development Council (RDC) which he chairs was to assist projects in rural areas to be operational such as Robelela Poultry Association project. 

He said RDC’s main focus was to help bring developments to rural areas.

On other issues, Dr Kedikilwe acknowledged residents of the village for working with him over the three decades he was their area MP to bring Robelela to its current status. 

Currently the village has a primary school and a clinic. 

Further the village has been connected to the grid and will be having portable water by end of this year.

He thanked residents of the village for moving from their ancestral place called Polometsi to make way for the construction of the Dikgatlhong Dam.

Also, he thanked them for their understanding and cooperation during the reburial of their ancestors from the former settlement and moving to what is now Robelela.

He said if it was not because of their cooperation, the project would not have been realised.

He went on to urge residents to continue working together as a unit and with government to bring more developments to the village for future generations.

He said what he had worked for to bring developments to the village was just the foundation for further developments in village.

He further called on residents and Batswana as a whole to continue living with the spirit of Botho, discipline and to continue to living peacefully and in unity. 

He said culture should be upheld and children and future generations should know their historical background and where they come from in order for the country to move forward as a united and proud nation.

Meanwhile residents of the village thanked Dr Kedikilwe for playing a role in helping them move from Polometsi to Robelela.

They said currently the village had developments and was still growing noting that they now have electricity, a primary school and clinic.

They acknowledged that Dr Kedikilwe was the founder of Robelela hence he would always be the father of the village. ENDS