11 Feb 2015

Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi, has informed residents of Dukwi that the refugee camp in their village would be refurbished in the new financial year.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Dukwi recently, Minister Kgathi said government had set aside P10 million to be used in re-fencing the camp, revamping the water pipeline and other maintenances of the camp.

He asserted that the refurbishment process, particularly the re-fencing, came as a result of concerns from the residents that some refugees were now engaged in social ills. He said there had been incidences in which refugees were found to have been part of criminal activities in partnership with some Batswana.

As refugees, he said they were supposed to remain in the camp, which was aimed at protecting them and it was for that reason that government should ensure that everything was in place at the camp for their up keep.

He pointed out that during their stay in the camp, the refugees are not supposed to own businesses as it has been reported to be the case with most of the refugees in Dukwi.

The minister was responding to concerns raised by the village development committee chairperson, Mr Boynyana Lesole, who requested that government consider fencing the camp so that refugees could not mix with residents as some of them end up being implicated in criminal activities in the village.

Mr Lesole emphasised that fencing the camp would also not only allow for the monitoring of movement of refugees, but would protect them against those who want to take advantage of their situation and use them for their personal gain, particularly in criminal acts.

Meanwhile, residents complained that refugees own businesses, particularly tuck shops which have had negative impact on their businesses.

Ms Mapula Maja lamented that tuck shops run by refugees operate as wholesalers with the lowest prices which has left them wondering where they get their stock from.

Ms Maja further echoed that because some of the village leadership is fronting for the refugees, their concerns regarding ownership of businesses by the refugees go unresolved.

On other issues, the residents proposed that the police office should be relocated from the refugee camp to the village centre because the current arrangement does not serve them well.

Mr Amos Kgomotso noted that many have failed to report their cases to the police as a result of the distance to the camp, particularly at night. He said due to shortage of resources and manpower at the police, often they fail to come and attend to reports in the late hours.

Responding to the concerns, Mr Kgathi said there are businesses reserved for Batswana and as such that should remain the case and urged those fronting or renting out their businesses to refrain from doing so. He promised to have their request for the police station to be moved to the village looked into. ENDS