05 Apr 2017

The Rural Area Development Programme (RADP) hostels constructed in Mmatshumo in 2000 were meant to accommodate pupils from remote settlements and cattle posts within Mmatshumo Primary School catchment area.

This was said by the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Frans Van Der Westhuizen in response to a parliamentary question on Tuesday.

Mr Van Der Westhuizen said due to passage of time (17 years to date) they were unable to recover project records for Mmatshumo RADP hostels.

He said the structure was never used because upon completion, there was a rollout of bigger RADs hotels across the country. He further said there are two RADs hostels which were constructed in Mosu and Mokubilo which are catchment areas of Mmatshumo village.

The minister told the House that in 2011, the then department of Youth Sport and Culture wrote to Boteti Sub-district Council requesting to use the facility as a youth recreational centre which was granted to them. However, he said since then the facility was not fully utilised.

Mr Van Der Westhuizen further said currently one of the rooms in the facility was used by Kingdomway Church in Mmatshumo, which was granted permission by the youth office in Letlhakane. He said the church was not paying rent for the space.

The minister was answering a question from Boteti East MP, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe who wanted him to apprise Parliament about the status of RADP programme hostel constructed at Mmatshumo around 2000, how much was spent in constructing it, who authorised its construction and which company carried the works.

Mr Lelatisitswe also wanted to know why the building was never occupied for the intended use, when the handover was done, whether it was appropriate that the building be used by a church and not serve the purpose for which it was built for, and how much was paid as rent by the church and to whom. ENDS