31 Oct 2016

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) is achieving practical success in improving Botswana’s social infrastructure and in the process developing communities as part of fulfilling government’s pledge to its citizens.

In an interview, assistant minister in the ministry, Mr Frans Van der Westhuizen said the ministry, through the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) has been tasked with the construction of classroom blocks, toilets, teachers’ quarters, village internal roads and customary court facilities among other such crucial infrastructure.

“Over a three-year period, starting this financial year, we are working on improving public infrastructure, including in government primary schools.

We are implementing construction of 401 classrooms across the country, of which 122 are due to be complete by the end of the financial year in March next year,” Mr Van der Westhuizen said.

He added that the ministry was also in the process of building 486 teachers’ quarters, with construction of 130 already under way.

Government primary schools will also benefit from 1280 toilets due for construction with 475 being built in the current financial year.

Further, Mr Van der Westhuizen said the ministry was also working on improving conditions of toilets in some government primary schools, ensuring among other things that toilet seats were of a size that would cater for learners, including those in early grades.

In another ESP initiative, the ministry has embarked on construction of 1000 destitute homes, focusing mainly on remote area dweller settlements.

Such had served to empower Batswana in rural and underprivileged communities, while generating income for local companies and employment for citizens.

“We have targeted the use of small construction companies within the localities of each project and this has empowered the small local businesses, also creating local jobs in the process,” he said.

Also, he said the ministry has been working on upgrading customary court infrastructure in some localities countrywide, adding a process of improving internal roads had also begun with the design of Tutume, Gabane and Kang internal road development, which has been complete.

“This is due to implemented in the eleventh National Development Plan (NDP 11), and while we have completed the design of the Tutume and Kang internal roads and the Gabane process will be complete soon, implementation will be subject to the approval of funds from NDP 11,” he said.

Meanwhile, initiatives are part of government’s pledge to its citizens, which are made up of five priority areas including making job creation a number one priority, taking Batswana out of poverty, increasing education funding, eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV as well as fighting corruption in all its manifestations. ENDS