03 Dec 2017

Mochudi West Member of Parliament and also Opposition Party chief whip, Mr Gilbert Mangole has commended President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama for having done a wonderful job in the country’s sporting fraternity, saying he has extremely excelled in that area.

Commenting on the State Of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on November 30, Mr Mangole also applauded the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Slumber Tsogwane for reinstating Kgosi Bana Sekai as the tribe’s deputy paramount chief.  

He also thanked government for electricity connection in Artesia, saying about two thirds of the village had no electricity reticulation. However, he expressed concern that Mochudi sewerage system reticulation that was stated over 15 years ago, had since stopped and urged government to extend the sewerage system, saying the storm water drainage also needed to be addressed.

Additionally, he said despite Artesia’s Masama Wells and Bokaa Dam, in Kgatleng supplying greater Gaborone with water, people in Rasesa still did not have adequate water supply. 

Bakgatla, he said had in the past four years offered Botswana Housing Corporation a piece of land for construction of 300 to 500 houses in Pilane, ‘but up to now the houses have not yet been built.’

However, Mochudi West MP saidwhen Electronic Voting Machine coordinator, Mr Gabriel Seeletso, consulted Batswana about the EVM, introduction through kgotla meetings, 90 per cent of Batswana showed that they did not want it. 

Despite this, he said government had failed to heed Batswana’s call and withdraw the EVM, but instead imposed it on them. 

Under President Khama’s leadership, he said the country had experienced mismanagement of the economy, deterioration of the education system, as well as high unemployment rate.

“Under President Khama, the education system has suffered the worst setbacks and a flimsy excuse of the 2011 Industrial Action was used for students’ failure,” he said.

President Khama, Mochudi West MP said, had also ignored public service welfare, adding that during his presidency government had never engaged any Salaries Review Commission ‘and every failure in government has always been blamed on the economic meltdown’.

The public service, he said had not been awarded any salary increment for almost ten years now, and this had resulted in them running to micro lenders for financial assistance, which had left them deeply swamped in debt. 

Further, Mochudi West MP wished Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi well as he takes over the presidency from President Khama and expressed confidence that Mr Masisi would discharge his duties well as the next President.

He also encouraged Vice President to ensure the State House was open to Batswana and to engage a salary review commission once he assumes office.

Meanwhile, chairperson of the Standing Orders and Reforms Committee and also Tati East MP, Mr Samson Guma, tabled a Report of the Standing Orders and Reforms Committee on the Draft Amendments to the Standing Orders, 2017. ENDS