07 Sep 2016

Beneficiaries of government programmes have been encouraged to work hard and graduate from poverty as too much reliance on government for survival denies one a chance to lead a dignified life.  

Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Frans Van Der Westhuizen said this during a kgotla meeting he addressed at Sehunou on Tuesday.

Mr Van Der Westhuizen said the numbers of people enlisting for Ipelegeng and other destitute programmes were high. 

He said observation had been that some beneficiaries of government programmes tend to abandon their projects in order to enroll for Ipelegeng whilst others do so in fear of being removed from destitute rations.

The assistant minister said government funds which could have been used elsewhere were wasted on abandoned projects. 

However, Mr Van Der Westhuizen was positive that with education comes development hence government’s decision to upgrade Sehunou Primary School by building 14 classrooms and 18 teachers’ houses. 

The school currently admits 492 pupils.

Giving a Village Development Committee (VDC) report, Ms Rina Osele informed the assistant minister that Ipelegeng was the main contributor to some families’ economies since there were no economical actions within the remote village. 

She however praised government programmes like affirmative action as worthy to their cause. 

She cited that about eight students from her village were at tertiary schools through affirmative action whilst others have graduated and have since joined police and prisons services. 

Through VDC, Ms Osele requested for a health facility in the village arguing that Mabuo and Motshegaletau clinics, about four kilometres away, were a challenge to many villagers. 

However, they were promised a running mobile stop services before end of the financial year. 

The VDC also requested for additional police officers to help the current single officer who is said to be overwhelmed by skyrocketing theft incidents and general ill-discipline. 

The same was echoed by Kgosi Madala Sianang of Sehonou, who subsequently requested that his kgotla be upgraded so he could try such cases. 

Whilst conceding that economy may not permit, the village chief called for expeditious address to their needs. ENDS