08 Nov 2015

Gaborone City Council (GCC) has handed over a house and an ablution block to Ms Mmamontsho Motsamai of Old Naledi in Gaborone.

Receiving the keys to the house, the 65-year-old Ms Motsamai expressed gratitude for the generosity by GCC for building the one room house and the ablution for her. 

“I am really thankful for the development that you did for me because I could have not done it myself,” she said. 

She said GCC saw the need to help her because she was not working, and thus what the council did for meant a lot and should be praised. 

GCC architecture and buildings chief, Mr Kegaisamang Mokgelele said they assisted Ms Motsamai after her house was gutted by fire back in 2011. 

“The house that she built was damaged by fire and she has since been in need of some shelter. That is why we took the responsibility to help and build her a house from scratch,” Mr Mokgelele said. 

However, he said after completing the house, they felt they did not do enough and therefore built an ablution block since the toilet the family was using was not in good state. 

“We also built an ablution block, which consists of a toilet room and a shower,” he said. 

Mr Mokgelele added that there was also the need to connect a water and the ablution had to be connected into the city’s sewage system. 

Thus, he applauded Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) for their assistance.

“We appealed to WUC for assistance of which they availed themselves and did a good job.” 

GCC city clerk, Mr Mpho Mathe said their mandate was to help people and giving back to the community, hence Ms Motsamai’s donation. 

Mr Mathe thus applauded and praised all who made the project possible, saying “we did not do all this work alone but we engaged other relevant stakeholders to help make the dream of our parent possible and we are grateful for that.” 

Their gesture, he said was also a response to President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama’s Housing Appeal initiative which aims to better the lives of Batswana as well as giving back to the community. 

Nonetheless, Mr Mathe emphasised that more still needed to be done for the needy. 

“We are aware of the life challenges that our parents are still facing, there cannot be enough but we will always try to do something,” he said. Ends