22 Sep 2016

The business community has been called upon to join hands with Gaborone City Council in the provision of education infrastructure.

Speaking during the ongoing full council meeting in Gaborone, city mayor, councillor Kagiso Thutlwe said education was the most powerful tool that one could use to change the world.

“Owing to its degree of significance, the government alone cannot manage to meet the financial needs of this sector,” he said, urging the community to assist in the maintenance of schools and their general upkeep.

Mayor Thutlwe also stated that he was concerned about the rising vandalism incidents in school’s, adding that the perpetrators include thieves and some students.

He noted that some students remove float valves in toilets which they later use as balls to play with.

He advised parents to realign and rehabilitate their children so that they become conscious of the adverse consequences of vandalism.

Mayor Thutlwe also urged schools to utilise their handyman funds to augment the maintenance efforts of the council, saying the council has noted that some schools have not yet received funding for the current financial year due to lack of proper accounting and reporting.

Meanwhile, he said although it was their mandate and responsibility to provide functional education facilities to primary schools, most of the city’s primary schools infrastructure, including classrooms and ablution blocks as well as teachers' houses, need maintenance.

He said due to financial constraints they had budgeted to maintain only two primary schools being Camp and Tshwaragano Primary School as well as the maintenance of vandalised house at Tshwaragano Primary School.

He said maintenance works were at completion stage at Itumeleng, Bosele, Ledumang and Segoditshane primary schools.

Mayor Thutlwe also stated that the council would continue to experience challenges in waste collection services. 

He said the challenge was directly linked to the limited resources in the council.

He added that they were trailing behind the waste weekly collection schedule, adding that the collection rate was between 70 and 80 per cent.

He, however, said  the four compactor trucks which were acquired early this year have made a positive impact, “though not to a satisfactory level,” he said.

Mayor Thutlwe said as the city grows, there was need to expand their capacity in waste management relative to the growth, adding that that has not been the case. 

He noted that they generate huge volumes of waste and do not have enough resources to meet the need.

He also said it was time communities were constructively engaged in issues relating to waste management, saying there was a need to keep the city clean.

“We cannot afford to generate and dump waste irresponsibly, jealously guard your environment and report any wrong doing to authorities,” said the mayor, adding that it was everyone's duty to preserve the environment for use by the coming generations. Ends