22 Jun 2015

Residents of Monarch West in Area 7 location have been urged to be self-reliant in order to limit dependency on state welfare, donations and family members.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Francistown West, Mr Ignatius Moswaane said at a kgotla meeting in the constituency recently that there was need for communities to work collectively with government to address poverty.

He urged residents to cultivate the spirit of self-reliance and show compassion towards less privileged members of their community. He said while government was doing all in its power to provide shelter to the needy, the effort was still inadequate. He called on individuals to contribute to the cause.

MP Moswaane also updated the meeting on the empowerment programmes of the Department of Gender Affairs and that of youth. He implored his constituents to form groups so that they could benefit from the programmes.

For his part, Monarch Court president, Kgosi Gunny Moses complained about the high crime rate in his area. He urged residents to abide by the Liquor Regulation Act and to stop selling alcohol at night.

He also raised concern over the poor attendance of kgotla meetings, and pleaded with residents to attend the meetings so that they were well informed on government policies and programmes.

A member of the Monarch Ward Development Committee (WDC), Mr Gopolang Almando advised the youth to participate in the committee’s meetings because they also contribute to the form and intent of youth empowerment programmes.

He said youth business projects were collapsing at a high rate, and urged young people to be passionate about their businesses. Ms Jane Jack, a resident, complained that poverty eradication projects were moving slowly.

Responding to some of the issues raised by residents, MP Moswaane called for the speedy implementation of the poverty eradication programme in his area.

He said although he was aware that programme officers were guided by stipulated guidelines, some cases require special treatment. Ends