03 Dec 2014

Member of Parliament for Bobirwa, Mr Shaw Kgathi has commended government for the provision of developments in his constituency.

Debating the President’s State-Of-Nation-Address, Tuesday, November 30, he said over a billion pula has been spent on construction of internal roads, bridges, poverty eradication programme and the fight against Foot and Mouth Disease.

He said he was still looking forward to more developments as the Kobojango-Molalatau clinic and Bobonong sport facilities were still outstanding.

MP Kgathi, who is also the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security called on government to consider upgrading the Bobonong health centre as the 20-bed facility was inadequate.

He lobbied for special ISPAAD for Kobojango, Semolale, Mabolwe, saying most farmers in those areas were hard hit by poverty because of rampant Zimbabwe wrestlers who continue to harass the farmers’ livestock in the area

Bobirwa has potential to become horticultural hub as the area is endowed with high water table water underground, he said.

He said his agenda for his five-year term would be to upgrade the brigade in Bobonong and Molalatau to be empowered to offer hospitality courses to benefit the community.

On other issues, he said he would propose that the electoral law be changed as it has some shortcomings.

He said it should be mandatory for registration transfers to be done across the country, noting that Section 25 (3) of the Electoral Act was silent on the reason why one should transfer.

He said he took a study to look at how many transfers were done in the last two weeks towards elections that were overwhelming, without stating reasons of transferring

MP Kgathi further said his party, Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)’s ideologies were based on the concept that all Batswana should benefit from the wealth of the country. “We are a social welfare state,” he said.

He also criticised opposition parties for condemning BDP programmes without coming up with solutions or alternatives.

“They have a tendency to edit BDP programmes,” he said.Commenting, MP for Gabane-Mmankgodi Major Gen. Pius Mokgware called for the development of his constituency. 

He said despite its proximity to town, there was no economic activity to offer employment to residents.

He said Gaborone carried a burden of people residing in the greater Gaborone who seek employment opportunities, because of uneven distribution of industries that create employment to people.

MP Mokgware said developments in his constituency have stalled because Water Utilities Corporation and Botswana Power Corporation were not assisting residents stating lack of map for such developments.

He also said student-teacher ratio remained a problem in schools and that it leads to poor performance.

On other issues, he said national security strategy was desired as the country was using old acts for Botswana Police, Botswana Defence Force and Botswana Prisons Services.

He also called for improvement of welfare of the BDF members, whom he said have accommodation shortage, work-related grievances that should be addressed such as non-payment of subsistence allowances and backlogs of payments for the foreign trips of Mozambique and Somalia a long time ago.

Major Gen. Mokgware also called for a comprehensive land policy. He said land has recently remained a thorny issue for people residing in the peripheries of the city.

He said if government does not look into land issues with the seriousness it deserves, civil wars might ensue because of land shortage. ENDS