22 Jun 2015

Minister of Lands and Housing, Mr Prince Maele, has applauded Department of Technical Services (DTS) staff for giving  86 -year -old Lekgolobotlo grandmother a place to call home.

Speaking during the official hand over of a two-roomed house in Lekgolobotlo recently, Mr Maele said the gesture would restore Ms Manini Molosi’s dignity and afford her a personal space to have her own privacy. All along, she has been staying with relatives.

Mr Maele said the property, the 13^th donation by his ministry, had “dramatically increased Ms Molosi’s net worth and glorified God.” He said those who donated to the less fortunate with a kind heart honoured God.

“I am very proud to be your minister for the following reasons; you have heeded the Presidential call for capable Batswana like you to assist the less fortunate. You are vision 2016 compliant, that is, you have internalised the Vision 2016 pillar of a compassionate and caring nation and are actually living it.

You are exemplary and congruent, in that, as a housing ministry you lead the government drive to afford Batswana dignity through decent housing by giving her a house. You are also great philosophers, you are aware that one can never have dignity in the real sense without a decent shelter,” he explained.

He observed that as populations rose, shortage of accommodation was generally becoming a growing concern around the world yet land remained static. Thus, he said it was important for governments to come up with programmes to address the challenge.

To this end, he said government has increased the Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) loans with a view to giving Batswana dignity through decent accommodation.

He shared that SHHA home improvement loans have been increased from P 45 000 to P60 000 while turnkey loans were also upturned from P60 000 to P90 000 to enable Batswana access to decent housing.

Mr Maele also observed that the Presidential Housing Appeal initiative has made strides in the provision of decent accommodation for the less fortunate citizens.

 He revealed that over 500 accommodation units have since been built and donated to some less privileged citizens across the country while 77 others were still under construction and applauded those who have been supporting the initiative since inception.

Mr Maele, nonetheless, challenged the new home owner to jealously take care of her property for it to last longer adding it was donated out of love, not affluence. He has further warned her never to contemplate selling the plot under any circumstances.

For his part, area MP and Minister of Agriculture, Mr Patrick Ralotsia described the gesture as victory for humanity and reiterated that the house would indeed restore the grandmother’s dignity and commended Batswana for their inherent spirit of compassion.

“Poverty literally takes away your dignity that’s why we have expressions like beggars cannot be choosers,” he said.

However, Mr Ralotsia has advised residents to appreciate rather than scorn the donation in order for Ms Molosi to also feel blessed to have been picked and assisted.

On other issues, Mr Ralotsia explained that it was critical to rehabilitate the 14km road that connected Lekgolobotlo village with the South East District. He argued that the other road was 44km which was rather more costly to use by the residents. He said reducing any distance people travelled to access services was critical to poverty eradication.

Detailing out the project background, DTS director, Mr Densil Buchanan likewise thanked his staff members for contributing in cash and in kind to give the project the light of day.

He shared that some P32 000 was raised by the employees out of benevolence. He said the initiative came as a direct response to President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama’s call for organisations to assist the indigent in the provision of housing. He explained that the bigger picture was to complement other programmes administered by the ministry like Tenants Purchase Scheme and District Housing among others, to alleviate poverty.

In his welcome remarks earlier on, Kgosi Aupa Mokabedi had urged Minister Maele to facilitate land allocations in his village. He complained that land allocation had been put on hold for the last five years which denied capable home seekers the opportunity to own a home.

Ms Manini, who could not conceal her joy, thanked DTS for changing her life. She said she had lost hope of ever acquiring a place to call home before they came along. The donation included a bed, table, chairs, comforter set, and blankets, cooking pots, firewood and lamps. ENDS