25 Feb 2018

Palapye Administration Authority chairperson, Mr Lesedi Phuthego has urged Department of Road Transport and Safety (DRTS) to take action against taxi operators who do not comply with the law, as per their taxi permits.

Addressing councillors during Palapye Sub-council meeting, Mr Phuthego said it was of great concern that there were many complaints that taxis did not drop customers at their respective homes.

He said areas adversely affected included Extensions four, five, six, seven, eight and nine.

Mr Phuthego called on DRTS to make spot checks and take action on perpetrators, adding that taxi operators agreed to the terms of the permit prior to issuance. He urged taxi operators to cooperate with the public on this matter and assist people as required.

He said the council was aware that some areas had gravel roads, but that did not stop them from delivering the required service as per the permit.

He said the council was working round the clock to improve the state of the roads in Palapye as evident by ongoing roads pavement works in some areas.

Touching on the poverty eradication initiative, Mr Phuthego said a number of beneficiaries had benefited in local economic empowerment programmes such as supplying catering services during local mini shows and departmental exposition and supplying school uniforms to needy students and orphans.

Regarding SEPA poultry abbatoir, he said there had been no progress at the abattoir in question since the project was found to have a major construction defects.

Construction of the abattoir had since been halted and investigations on the matter were ongoing.

He said consultations would be made to find the best solution on the progress.

“We plead with the potential beneficiaries to be patient with us,” he said. Regarding the Artificial Insemination Camp at Makoro, Mr Phuthego said 204 cattle were stocked for artificial insemination at Makoro due to unsatisfactory grazing conditions of the ranch.

He urged more farmers to enroll into on-farm artificial insemination for them to benefit from this initiative.

He encouraged farmers to prepare themselves for the possibility of drought due to late rains and extreme high temperatures. Ends