05 Jun 2016

The sleepy village of Sojwe became alive with hope as cabinet members  including the Vice President Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi, donors and dignitaries witnessed a milestone in the Presidential housing appeal  as the 600^th house was handed over to the beneficiary. President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama handed over the house to a benefiaciry in the village.

To this achievement, President Khama expressed profound gratitude to everyone who have contributed towards the initiative in whatever form.“This donation is what could be termed a leg-up or spring board to enable beneficiaries to aim at achieving other objectives in life,” he said.

He said the initiative has benefited an estimated number of about 5 000 people, which constituted a village given that a settlement was made up of 500 people or more adding that the housing appeal footprints were much more visible in rural areas as compared to peri-urban.

He revealed that so far 11 houses had just been completed and were ready for occupation whilst 49 were under construction.“Any gift, be it a single brick, a packet of nails, door frame or whatever building material or funds can contribute significantly towards the construction of a decent structure,” he said.

He said when the initiative started, there were those who chose to be critical as they doubted its potential, however, interestingly, the very same people have now come on board to assist.Explaining the mission of the housing appeal at conceptualisation, the President said the initiative was part of a roadmap aimed at assisting the needy.

He noted that the milestones achieved by the housing appeal should also be attributed to private companies, churches, organisations and individuals who have heeded the President’s call of assisting those Batswana who did not have shelter.President Khama also highlighted that these donors had not only built houses but they had gone an extra mile by giving out diverse donations ranging from cash, building material, to complete and fully furnished structures.

“I am certain that the concerted efforts of compatriots and others as well as companies and other groups will help reach another milestone of a 1000 houses in the next three years,” he said.He explained that factors such as size of family and location were said to be the determining aspects for the type of houses donated. All these, he noted have been recorded and filed including all receipts and deposit slips.

On the other hand, President Khama said not every house donated was built through the housing appeal as some philanthropists prefered to deliver an already completed structure, which sometimes proves to be a faster process compared to constructing directly from the fund.

With regards to gorvenance issues, President Khama has highlighted that since the housing appeal handled financial transactions, two chartered accountants had volunteered to manage and audit books on a regular basis.

In addition to constructing new houses, the President has also revealed that they turn incomplete structures into homes and that during such an endeavor, beneficiaries got to participate in activities such as brick moulding so that they felt part of the process rather than recipients of hand-outs.

Also he underscored that beneficiaries undergo counseling to encourage them to gain independence because a house on its own earned one dignity and value, two important factors that kept many individuals going forward.At the event, the President also announced that cabinet had pledged to build a house as contribution towards the milestone. The house, he said would be built right next to the 600 ^th house which was handed out to Ms Mmamphake Tshobowe.

For his part, Kgosi Hube of Sojwe has praised President Khama saying that his goods deeds will forever be remembered and his legacy will endure. He has nonetheless requested the president to include a visit to Sojwe in his itinerary in order to address some of the issues such as developments that were lagging behind.

Meanwhile the beneficiary Ms Mmamphake Tshobowe ran short of words to express her joy. She however thanked the president for such a benevolent gesture. Nonetheless she has promised that she will make sure her children take their education seriously to have a bright a future. ENDS