05 May 2016

Residents of Kgoro in the Good Hope/Mabule constituency have expressed their gratitude for the construction of the Good Hope - Kgoro road through the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) commencing this year.

The residents said this during a kgotla meeting addressed by their area Member of Parliament Mr Lotlaamoreng Montshioa at Kgoro on Tuesday. Residents indicated how they had long awaited the construction of the road which connected them to Good Hope and Gathwane hence making it smooth to travel to Lobatse and Good Hope to easily access services.

Residents said they were also thankful for another nurse to have been posted to their clinic, adding that it had not been easy being assisted by only one nurse who was multitasking and could not meet all their demands.

However, residents still decried shortage of water in their area adding that they sometimes went for a week without water. They also expressed concern that at times they did not get clean water from their taps, a thing they said posed a health risk to them. Moreover they said water bills could sometimes be surprisingly huge yet they did not get water all the time.

They further complained about the prices that Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) offered for their harvest, adding that BAMB bought their products at very low prices and sold them with double the same price on the other hand. Residents went on to say stock theft was still a concern in their area, adding that mostly youth were involved in such activities.

In his response, Mr Montshioa promised the residents that he would meet with all the relevant authorities concerning their issues in order to address them and give feedback.

Mr Montshioa urged residents to take care of their livestock to avoid distractions in the fields.

He said he was also concerned by the issue of stock theft saying it required the attention of parents to talk to their children to desist from such bad practices.

Earlier in his welcome remarks , Kgosi James Tekanyo decried long hours spent by elders at the post office waiting for their pension, adding that the area MP needed to do something about it as it was not healthy for the grown-ups.

He further argued that Goodhope/Mabule constituency still had no bank yet with many employees including farmers who needed bank services which they only get from as far as Lobatse and Kanye.

For his part, waterworks foreman from Water Utilities Corporation, Mr Motlotlegi Mosweu said the company had been experiencing shortage of engines.

Mosweu said the corporation had made a resolution to buy new engines to address the issue. He further advised residents to also make their own metre readings to avoid high bills which he said sometimes came as a mistake made by WUC. Ends