10 Sep 2017

Member of Parliament for Gaborone South, Mr Kagiso Molatlhegi has raised a concern over criminal activities in Old Naledi. 

Addressing a kgotla meeting on Friday, Mr Molatlhegi complained that Old Naledi was the home to gangsterism and alcoholism, which contributed to increase in criminal activities in the area. 

He said the use of drugs and alcohol by young people in Old Naledi was the order of the day that needed God’s intervention. 

He cited prostitution as anther serious problem cropping up in the area with young girls selling their bodies to make a living. 

He said what was disheartening was that school going children, from primary to secondary were involved. 

Mr Molatlhegi appealed to parents to play their role in guiding their children to become better future leaders. 

Mr Molatlhegi, also Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly advised parents to form crime prevention committees to fight crime as the police alone could not manage. 

He advised residents to go for regular medical check-ups as there was an increase in deaths caused by non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, high and low blood pressure and sugar diabetes. 

He said medical check-ups were important as they prevented deaths caused by such diseases even though they were curable. 

He also warned them of the dangers of HIV/AIDS, for which government provided free treatment. On other issues, Mr Molatlhegi briefed residents on the P10 million constituency grant allocated to Gaborone South. 

He explained that Old Naledi did not benefit from the funds, but the money would be used in other areas such as Bontleng to improve roads, drainage systems and installation of floodlights in crime hotspots. 

Mr Molatlhegi said Old Naledi would be considered in the 2018/2019 financial year and advised residents to route proposals through his parliamentary office for his input. 

He explained that the P10 million was used to cater for projects not included in the development plan and that there were guidelines on how the money should be used. 

The MP briefed residents on motions and bills that were debated and passed in the last parliamentary session. Bills include the Inter-State transfer of prisons, the Deeds Registry Bill and Botswana Open University Bill. Earlier on, Ward Development Committee chairperson, Mr Daniel Modise complained about the P10 million allocated to Gaborone South, saying they had not received any response on their proposal. 

He said the youth in Old Naledi were willing to embark on projects by using open spaces in their area, but the delay in the disbursement of the P10 million was a major drawback. 

Some residents complained of repeating offenders who continued to be granted bail by the courts of law, saying such was the reason crime continued to increase at an alarming rate across the country. 

They also complained that although they had a clinic that operated 24 hours a day, there was still a serious shortage of doctors because they were only available on weekends. 

Residents blamed parents who sold drugs to school children and appealed to government to stiffen penalties. 

However, some residents applauded Old Naledi police for their effort in fighting crime in the area, but said a lot still needed to be done because Old Naledi was the number one hot spot for criminal activities in Gaborone. 

In response, Mr Molatlhegi explained that every offence was bailable and the law stated that a suspect was innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. 

He assured residents that government would continue to provide developments, but cautioned that Rome was not built in a day. ENDS