03 Jul 2017

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Slumber Tsogwane has informed residents of Orapa that communities need to be taught how to be accountable for their lives.

Minister Tsogwane said this recently during a kgotla meeting in Orapa recently, stating that the bill on health risks linked to alcoholism was still under discussion.

He said people whose health status was linked to alcoholism could be served in public hospitals, but that they would be expected to cover the expenses incurred in their treatment.

The minister encouraged Batswana to develop a culture of reading so that children could emulate them. Batswana, he said, did not value reading.

He encouraged the nation to cater for reading rooms in their house plans to promote reading among children.

Mr Tsogwane said the Mopipi Clinic would be expanded and would operate 24 hours.

He said he would follow up on the 22 houses planned for Orapa Junior Secondary School under the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP).

A water plant, he said, would be established in Mokobaxane to supply the south-central villages of Kedia, Mopipi, Mokobaxane, Mmadikola and Xhumo.

The urban extension chairperson, Mr Kebame Montwedi expressed concern that they had been told that Orapa JSS had been allocated 22 houses under ESP, but that nothing has materialised to date.

Government, he said, had failed to provide transport to students for various activities both curricula and co-curricular.

Mr Montwedi also complained about the cyclic maintenance of the school, saying the school would be turning 30 years next year but was not maintained.

The system of giving schools funds in bits and pieces, he said, was not helping.

Residents complained of issues ranging from inadequate staff and poor service provision at the Department of Transport to lives lost due to lack of road signs indicating that road-users were approaching a T-junction towards the Mopipi T-junction and high salinity of water in Boteti. ENDS