03 Aug 2017

Residents of Gani and Chukumuchu in the Okavango constituency have appealed for electricity connection in their villages.

The residents made the plea during the area MP, Mr Bagalatia Arone’s kgotla meetings, saying electricity was a basic necessity.

Mr Arone told Gani residents that the electricity connection project for the village had been budgeted for and would soon start, while it would be rolled out to Chukumuchu in the coming years.

He also noted that National Development Plan 11 (NDP) was primarily for infrastructural developments and job creation in the country.

On other issues, the Village Development Committee (VDC) chairperson in Chukumuchu, Ms Garebowe Makwalo complained about the dilapidated border fence made it difficult to control the movement of livestock between Namibia and Botswana.

She also appealed for the number of Ipelegeng programme participants to be increased, arguing that many residents depended on it for a living.

Ms Makwalo also said access to Youth Development Fund (YDF) forms was a challenge because people had to travel long distances to Shakawe and Gumare to access the forms. She appealed for the forms to be availed nearer to people.

She also said the Chukumuchu Clinic was faced with shortage of transport, and that they depended on the Sepopa Clinic for transport.

She, however, commended government for availing ARVs at the Chukumuchu Clinic, adding that people no longer had to travel to Shakawe to access the medication.

Another resident, Mr Kahere Kamotati said he was not happy with the implementation of the poverty eradication programme, and suggested that a coordinating committee should be established to coordinate the implementation, but said it should outside the  public service.

He said the committee would report to the MP on a quarterly basis on how the programme was progressing.

Mr Arone advised residents to think broadly of businesses that could be prosperous in Okavango, citing boat cruising as one potential business in the area.

He said people could get money through the YDF to purchase boats.

Mr Arone also said the number of educated Batswana was increasing, hence the difficulty in finding jobs, adding that it was for this reason that government came up with other measures to tackle unemployment in the country such as the introduction of the poverty eradication programme.

He said people should take responsibility, adding that government was doing its best to uplift the lives of Batswana. ENDS