27 Jun 2017

Gabane/Mmankgodi MP, Major General Pius Mokgware says any development is a result of consultations and stakeholders.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Mmankgodi recently, Maj. Gen. Mokgware said he decided to invite stakeholders in order for them to give residents first hand information on issues that concern them.

Maj. Gen. Mokgware had invited the land board and Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) to account to his constituents about issues which residents were not happy about.

He said constituents tend to blame MPs when their areas lagged behind in developments.

He said people tend to forget that development involved many stakeholders, and that the  consultation process with relevant stakeholders’ would help address any misinformation.

At the meeting, residents complained about constant water shortages in  their vilage and lack of consultation from WUC regarding the matter.

Mr Ian Mafoko said if WUC was in consultations with residents, they would be able to prepare for any water situation well on time.

Residents also complained  that Botswana Power Corporation and WUC refused to connect new plots allocated where the village was expanding, saying they were not mapped.

Another resident, Mr Jerry Tau said the land board took a long time to allocate new plots.

Another resident, Mr Ketshabile Moarabi complained about illegal sand mining in the Metsimotlhabe River.

He suggested that mining laws should be reviewed to increase fines to deter illegal sand miners.

In response, an official from WUC acknowledged that there was water shortage in the village, and that the corporation was currently able to supply the village with 400m3 of water instead of the required 800m3.

He said the situation was exacerbated by the lack of a storage facility, especially in the event of a pipe burst.

To address the issue, he said they have introduced water rationing to ensure that all parts of the village got water.

A Thamaga sub-land board official, blamed lack of consultation from village leaders about land boundaries, saying they delayed land allocation as conflicts often arose when they had to allocate plots.

Maj. Gen. Mokgware also consulted with constituents on issues to take to the next Parliament session.

He also told them that his MPs office has received an award for being the best performing office out of 56 constituencies countrywide. ENDS