08 Jan 2015

Tonota MP, Mr Thapelo Olopeng has said he will launch a website for his constituency in the near future.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Mandunyane on Wednesday January 7, Mr Olopeng said the website, which the technicians are currently working on, will assist in promoting the constituency locally and abroad. He said the website will make known the available opportunities to potential investors and will also promote the products that constituents have.

Mr Olopeng implored the residents to inform the constituency office of whatever products they make in order to be included in the website. The MP, who is also Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, further reminded the residents that the constituency office is not a political office, but a government office that is opened to all regardless of their political affiliation.

He noted that he is a representative of everybody in the constituency even those who did not vote for him. “Our party affiliations matter during the general elections, but now is the time to unite and hit the ground running to ensure our constituency is developed,” he said.

He added that unity was the only principle that will ensure that the constituency is developed as everybody will be free to contribute ideas. On his ministerial responsibilities, Mr Olopeng said he had tasked his officers to categorise the sport complexes into three, being; large, medium and small.

He said he realised that not all villages could qualify for stadiums as big as the national stadium, but that did not mean they should be disadvantaged as they could instead have either the medium or small sport complex.

In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Joshua Joel thanked government for the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) programme, noting that the majority of Mandunyane residents utilised it.

He further commended the residents for complying with the requirements of the programme such as row planting. Kgosi Joel requested government to service the borehole that was previously used to provide water for the village.

The VDC chairperson, Mr Samuel Mutoriti commended Mandunyane primary school for the improved performance in the 2014 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).

He requested for the upgrading of the local health post to become a clinic, two classrooms at the primary school, Kgotla shelter and tools for Ipelegeng workers. For their part, the residents complained of high water bills that led to disconnections. One resident, Mr Ezekiel Mpononwane, who is a taxi operator complained about the route designated for Mandunyane taxis.

He noted that the route was not clearly defined and efforts to meet officials of the Department of Road and Transport Safety (DRTS) bore no fruits as the officers kept on failing to turn-up.

The former councillor, retired Brigadier Bathoen Maseko asked the MP to request the ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to make it mandatory for council graders that maintain local roads to include the villages’ main playgrounds. He observed that some sporting activities in the village were not done because some grounds were not in a good condition while others have long grass.

In response, Mr Olopeng promised that, he will meet DRTS to resolve the issue on unclear taxi routes. Mr Kebaabetswe Sebetlela of Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) concurred that his corporation disconnected water for some residents.

He however, said WUC has resolved that no more disconnections will be done for people who had arrears on bills that reflected from the take over from the council’s water unit, but arrangements will be done with those affected on how the high bill issues could be resolved.

Council official Mr Mike Chandapiwa explained that the council is aware of the problem of Ipelegeng tools but is working on addressing it during the 2014/15 financial year. ENDS