07 Sep 2015

Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse says alcohol abuse contributes to crime rates. Mr Autlwetse, who is also the Member of Parliament for Serowe North, said this when addressing a kgotla meeting in Gojwane recently.

He said reports had revealed that youth engage in alcohol abuse and end up participating in deviant and criminal activities.

“Reports show that a high number of out of school or unemployed youth have been associated with criminal behavior due to alcohol abuse. Being unemployed or not in school should not be used as an excuse by the youth to engage in alcohol, but rather the youth should do useful things about their lives,” he said.  

Mr Autlwetse also linked alcohol abuse with poor results that had been registered by schools nationally. He said students who abuse alcohol produce poor results and end up in streets where they engage in criminal activities.

He noted that the government has invested a lot of money in the youth in terms of education and youth empowerment programmes.

On other issues, Mr Autlwetse said the government was aware of water shortage experienced at Gojwane. He explained that a permanent plan was underway to provide Gojwane, Moreomabele, Topisi, Damochujenaa and Mmadinare with water from reseviors in Selebi Phikwe.

He said the government was in process of sourcing funds to connect the villages to the reservoir.

He said while awaiting for the project to startf, boreholes around the villages would be upgraded to provide the villages with water. However, he noted that there would still be shortage experienced. He explained that his office had met with officials from the geological surveys department to help in mapping out and putting back into operation the Karekateng borehole near Gojwane.

He said the borehole would be able to produce 22 cubic metres of water for Gojwane and Serule residents.

He said another borehole in Serule with the capacity to produce 390 cubic metres of water was functioning. However, he said the borehole was currently producing 124 cubic metres of water.

He noted that another borehole in Topisi producing four cubic metres of water had been excavated and put to use.

Mr Autlwetse, however, noted that the boreholes did not produce enough water, and that the government would continue providing water through bowsers to augment supply.

Meanwhile, Kgosi Moagi Ketlhaetse expressed concern that the youth in his village engage in alcohol abuse and criminal activities. He said most cases registered at the customary court involve youth. He also expressed concern that they did not attend kgotla meetings, and did not take heed the call to utilise government programmes to empower themselves.

He said the village’s customary court needs to be connected to the national grid, adding that they also need telephone connections .

Kgosi Ketlhaetse further urged parents to register their children with the birth and death registration office on time.

Meanwhile, residents of Gojwane called on the government to re-introduce corporal punishment in customary courts to discipline the youth who engage in deviant and criminal behaviour such stealing, breaking into houses and shops as well as engaging in fights rather than sending them to jail.

They said the government go back to the traditional ways of punishing deviant youth. They said whipping deviant youth was the best medicine and traditional way to put them back on track.

They said giving the youth strokes publicly in a kgotla would also embarrass them and make them think twice about engaging in criminal activities. Ends