14 Sep 2016

North West District is currently experiencing shortage of smartcards for the coupon system.

This was revealed by the council chairperson, Mr Reaboka Mbulawa during the ongoing full council. 

As an intervention, he said the council has requested for additional cards from department of social protection and other  districts, which had availed 100 smartcards. 

Although the smartcards were not enough to cover the backlog, he  assured councillors that efforts would be done to solicit more smartcards from other districts so as to assist beneficiaries on time.

He explained that currently, beneficiaries were assisted through the manual voucher tender procurement system. The contract for Smart Switch Botswana, the current administrator of the coupon system would end 30 September this year.

Also, he said a new package under the poverty eradication programme has been introduced being the egg layer project and that 60 projects would be undertaken in the district.

“It is envisaged that public institutions like schools, health facilities and local retailers would provide the market for the produce.”  Mr Mbualwa explained that government through the ministies of Education and Skills Development and Local Government and Rural Development were working on a menu to provide students with eggs twice a week. 

He further pointed out that beneficiaries had been conducted while construction of the structures for layers and installation cages were done adding that packaging of beneficiaries at Okavango were completed.

For Maun Administration Authority, he said packaging of beneficiaries was ongoing adding that each packaged beneficiary would be issued with 50 layers and four bags of 50kg chicken feeds enough to sustain beneficiaries for two months.

“It is reported that out of the total of over P9 million warranted to the district during quarter one for poverty eradication programme, over P5 million has been spent as at the end of August 2016.” 

Mr Mbulawa also said Measles affected Botswana Meat Commission slaughtering speed.   He said the rate in which the Maun abattoir would be able to slaughter cattle would be seriously slowed down when more Measles cases were recorded as the cattle had to be kept for at least two weeks in order to kill the Measles tapeworm.

It was reported that the district recorded three per cent prevalence of beef measles and the chairman observed that the battle could be won if all exercised better sanitation measures that include using toiletsi instead of relieving themselves on the bush.

By so doing, he said they would improve beef quality and the slaughtering rate would increase therefore benefiting farmers.

Regarding Foot and Mouth Disease, he said the vaccination coverage has improved as it stands at 79 per cent.

That, he said was a good move as no cases of FMD were recorded in the last twelve months.

He pointed out that cattle from the district were now slaughtered at Francistown Abattoir for local and regional markets only. ENDS