12 Jan 2016

Community leaders in Mabolwe, Semolale and Gobojango have expressed delight at the re-deployment of members of the Special Support Group (SSG) to patrol the border.

Speaking during kgotla meetings addressed by the Member of Parliament for Bobonong, Mr Shaw Kgathi recently, Kgosi Join Ngala of Mabolwe and his counterparts Keleapere Baruti of Semolale and Mokgethi of Gobojango said their request that SSG members be re-deployed along the border with Zimbabwe has reduced cross border crime considerably.

They told Mr Kgathi, who is also the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security that they appreciate the government for responding to their plea after they lost many of their livestock to the neigbouring country.

The three dikgosi said the SSG was collaborating well with members of the Botswana Defence Force and the police which was a contributing factor to the decline in such crime which has been haunting them for so many years.

However, they appealed to their MP to continue to beef up security by establishing a permanent SSG base in the area so that such crime could be arrested.

The praise was also cemented by the Village Development Committee chairperson of the three villages, saying since the redeployment there was only one case which was reported last year. 

For his part, Mr Kgathi said following an outcry about livestock being crossed to the neighbouring country, the government found it fit to redeploy the SSG to help the existing security forces in the area.

On other issues, residents in Mabolwe and Semolale complained about high water bills from Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) despite shortage of water in the area.

They said the Mapeku borehore which has sufficient water should  be connected so that they enjoy adequate supply.

They told the MP that although they receive insufficient water supply, WUC continues to produce high water bills.

In Gobojango, residents were concerned about the water which they said was unpalatable and causes stomach cramps. They wanted clarification on the issue from the corporation. 

Answering residents concerns, Ms Chipo Pheto from WUC said the area was experiencing water shortage and that some boreholes were drying up and that the situation would normalise upon completion of a water pipeline from Thune Dam.

Ms Pheto said they have taken water samples for testing from the Dinde borehole that supply Gobojango to see whether it was suitable for drinking. 

Mr Kgathi also commended Mabolwe, Semolale and Gobojango primary schools for producing good results in Primary School Leaving Examinations.

He said Mabolwe has not been doing well, but managed to get second position in Bobirwa with 88.8 per cent. The challenge, he said, lies at secondary schools. He said they have turned themselves into factories of poor performance despite good efforts by primary school teachers.

Mr Kgathi advised secondary schools teachers to up their game, and said it looked like some were on a go-slow mode.

The MP also appealed to parents to participate in the education of their children and demand answers whenever their children perform badly.

He said some parents have neglected their children as shown by the 108 children that dropped out of school due to pregnancy. Ends