02 Oct 2017

Beetsha residents in the Okavango District have appealed to President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama for a better Mohembo/Gudigwa gravel road.

The residents made their plea during a Kgotla meeting addressed by the President recently.

Area MP, Mr Bagalatia Arone also stressed the urgent need for the upgrading of the road, which is currently in a bad state.

He said with the rainy season approaching, people were living  in frustration because it was a challenge to use the road during rains.

Mr Arone therefore requested that funds be availed for the Mohembo/Gudigwa road upgrading soon.

On another issue, the MP said there was need for the departments of youth empowerment and gender affairs to have offices in Seronga as the service centre so that residents could  have easy access to  poverty eradication programmes from people living across the Okavango River.

Still on grievances, Kgosi Bonang Karondo of Beetsha complained about the low water supply in the village, saying that Beetsha had only five standpipes despite its vastness.

He said the number of standpipes needed to be increased to match the growing population of the village to alleviate the challenge of long queues at  public standpipes.

Kgosi Karondo was also concerned about the delay in allocation of land in his village by the Seronga Sub-land Board, noting that allocation of land was last done in 2013.

For his part, VDC chairperson, Mr Keapoletse Muyenga said the village had been promised a satellite police station a long time ago, but to date the facility was never availed despite the urgent need.

He also said there was need for an ambulance in the village as it would also service villages such as Eretsha and Gudigwa, adding that the current ambulance based in Seronga was not enough.

Acute shortage of medical drugs and health staff at the clinic was also said to be a challenge that needed prompt intervention.

People also complained about prices with which the Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) purchased their produce, saying that they were low, where a 50kg bag of grain was purchased at P120.

Responding to the issue of shortage of drugs and staff, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ms Shannaz El-Halabi said currently the whole of Botswana was faced with shortage of anti-biotics.

She also said as a ministry they came up with clusters to try and address the issue of shortage of health staff.

For example, she said one doctor was placed at the Seronga cluster, which would service villages such as Beetsha, Eretsha, Gunostoga and Gudigwa, among others.

As for the water shortage challenge, Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, Mr Prince Maele said the construction of the water treatment plant in Seronga was almost complete and it would supply different villages including Beetsha. ENDS