24 Aug 2014

Vice President Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe has thanked residents of Mmadinare, civil servants and Batswana in general for working with him in bringing developments to this country and helping to uplift the livelihood of Batswana.

He also expressed gratitude to residents of the constituency and Batswana for having faith in him and giving him the opportunity to play a role in the leadership of the country to bring developments to villages in the constituency and the country as a whole.

Dr Kedikilwe said this during a kgotla meeting he addressed in Mmadinare on Thursday August 21 to bid residents farewell as he will no longer be their Member of Parliament.

He said he had played his part and it was time for a young, vibrant and intelligent leader to take the baton. He explained that initially villages in the Mmadinare constituency did not have electricity and potable water, but today they had been connected to the grid and also have potable water.

Furthermore, he said during his tenure as MP, primary schools had been built in all the villages that currently fall under his constituency, which include Mmadinare, Sefhophe, Tobane, Damochujenaa, Foley, Robelela, Mogapi, Mogapinyana, Diloro, Kgagodi and Tamasane including junior secondary schools in most villages as well as the state of the art senior secondary school in Mmadinare.

Dr Kedikilwe also pioneered the construction of the Dikgatlhong Dam at Robelela, which is the largest dam in the country with holding capacity of 400 million cubic meters as well as the Thune and Lotsane dams, which have water holding capacities of 90 million and 40 million cubic meters of water respectively.

He urged Batswana to strive to be self-reliant, independent, take agriculture seriously and preserve culture.

For her part, the secretary of Rural Development Council (RDC), Ms Pearl Matome said that the council oversees government projects and paves a way for developments in rural areas. 

She said the council objectives included making sure that people benefit from government programmes.  

It also advises cabinet on how to bring about developments in rural areas.

Ms Matome said the RDC also encourages residents in rural areas to establish trusts, cooperatives and development association that create employment for residents and help bring developments to such villages.

She said that the council’s mandate is to promote a market for agriculture produce, preserve culture, indigenous talent and skills.

Ms Matome said Dr Kedikilwe chairs the council while the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Peter Siele deputises him.

Other members include the Ministries of Trade and Industry; Labour and Home Affairs; Education and Skills Development; Ntlo ya Dikgosi; BOCCIM; NACA; BAMB and BALA.

For her part, Mrs Bonolo Moanalita from Government Implementation Coordination Office under the Office of the President said the office is responsible for making sure that government ministries and departments are interlinked and their objectives and procedures complement one another to improve service delivery and implementation of government projects.

The organisation is tasked with making sure that government projects take place accordingly and completed on time and within budget, and they also reach people in time, she said. 

It also ensures that services take place according to standards, she added.

Residents of Mmadinare expressed gratitude to the Vice President for serving the nation diligently as a civil servant and a politician. 

They commended him for helping to bring developments to the country.

He also visited Robelela, Sefhophe, Tobane, Damochujenaa, Mogapi, Mogapinyana, Diloro, Kgagodi and Tamasane to bid them farewell. Ends