20 Feb 2017

President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama has encouraged public officers in the Good Hope-Mabule constituency to assist constituents to take advantage of the available government programmes, initiatives and interventions without prejudice.

President Khama was reacting to concerns from Kgosi Morota II of Mabule that only one resident has ever benefited from the Youth Development Fund (YDF) programme since inception in 2008 against a population of 2 285 residents.

"There is no smoke without fire. Now  I get a hunch that some officers here have an agenda to frustrate you from taking advantage of citizen empowerment programmes and better your lives,” he observed.

Lt  Gen.  Dr Khama said he would consequently send a delegation of four senior government officials led by deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Develpment Lt Col. Duke Masilo, to get down to the bottom of the matter this week and report to Cabinet on February 27.

"If there is evidence that some officers are deliberately frustrating  you, they will get fired but if it's got something to do with shortage of resources then we will see how best we can assist,"he promised.

Meanwhile President Khama later during the course of the day stressed during another meeting with public officers that Batswana were generally not happy with their service.

"My request to you is, it doesn't matter whether you like me or not, the point is you are all Batswana, every Motswana is a shareholder in this country, it doesn't belong to me, BDP, government or UDC. Desist from that attitude otherwise one day you will also suffer from the same problem.

"How would you feel if you have an accident and you are admitted to Scottish Livingstone Memorial Hospital in Molepolole but you can't get help because you are a Morolong from Mabule?” he asked rhetorically.

On other issues, President Khama informed residents that 10 houses would be built across the constituency through the Presidential Housing Appeal initiative this year. He said two houses out of the total number would be built in Mabule while four more would be constructed the same year by government, bringing the total number earmarked for the village to six.

The Minister of Youth Empowerment Sport and Culture Development Mr Thapelo Olopeng who had accompanied  President Khama also confirmed during the kgotla meeting that only one resident of Mabule has benefited from YDF.

He said the feedback he got from the YDF officers was that Mabule youth were reluctant to take advantage of the programme. Nonetheless, he assured residents that he would dispatch a team in a fortnight's time to find out the root cause of the situation.

If need be, Mr Olopeng told residents that his ministry would devise an affirmative action programme with a view to create a conducive environment for the youth to venture into business.

A youthful resident Ms Dolly Mogale said Mabule residents were willing to take advantage of the YDF programme but disadvantaged by circumstances they lived under.

She said most of the young people in the area wanted agric-related ventures but without land,water, or a place to rent, they faced a bleak future.

She said some youth had applied to do small stock business but were disadvantaged by the distance of the borehole from the village.

Ms Mogale further shared that she wanted to do a broiler production business but was also disadvantaged by the distance. She said the feedback she got from service providers was that day old chicks should not travel long distances.

For his part the area MP Kgosi Lotlaamoreng Montshioa requested for the Good Hope Sub-district to be upgraded to a fully fledged district to enhance service delivery.

Mr Montshioa also urged government to continue engaging their South African counterparts on issues of pedestrian crossing points for villages along the border line especially Mabule. BOPA