15 May 2018

Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture Development, Mr Thapelo Olopeng says government will build a primary hospital and a community sport field in the Tonota Sub-district during National Development Plan (NDP) 11.

Addressing kgotla meetings in Mhakamme and Seroto wards in Tonota on Monday, Minister Olopeng said government had approved only two district hospitals to be built during NDP 11, saying the other hospital would be built in the Moshupa/Manyana constituency.

He said the Tonota hospital would assuage the distance travelled between Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital in Francistown, Selibe-Phikwe and Palapye primary hospitals.

Regarding the community sports field, Mr Olopeng, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tonota, said the sporting facility, which will contain a football, volleyball and netball pitches, will be strategically located in the western side of Tonota on a four-hectare land.

He said the Tonota Primary Hospital would be built immediately after the Moshupa/Manyana hospital has been completed.

On other issues, Mr Olopeng informed the residents that he had also come up with an initiative to establish a community fitness programme in the village, which he would launch soon.

He said he decided to come up with the initiative after realising that lack of fitness among Batswana is the main cause of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, among others.
Minister Olopeng said most of the residents of Tonota had shown interest in the programme as evidenced by the high number of people who have already registered and urged more residents in the village, old and young, to join the programme in large numbers.  
 

He explained that experts in the field of fitness had also showed interest in assisting in the programme, saying each kgotla would have its own fitness centre given the high number of people who continue to register for the programme.

The Minster also briefed resident on some bills that were passed during the last parliamentary session that include the Matimela Bill, Arms and Ammunition Bill, the Cybercrime and Computer related crimes as well as amendment of the Penal Code.

He said the amendment of the Penal Code was necessitated by the fact that people continue to defile minors, which he said is of grave concern for government.

He also said government was also in the process of amending the Stocktheft Act to increase penalties, which is one of the backbones of rural livelihoods.
In Mhakamme ward, residents complained about some taxi operators who drop them far away from their homes, saying this exposed commuters, particularly the elderly, to criminals.

The minister later held a meeting with taxi operators to map the way forward on how to solve the problem and it was agreed that the management of the taxi operators would address a kgotla meeting on the matter.

At Seroto ward, one resident, Ramorula Thanda suggested that penalties for stocktheft should be increased from the current five years imprisonment for first offenders to 20 years imprisonment because the crime has increased dramatically.

Residents also welcomed the community fitness programme, but complained about the shortage of drugs in health facilities and elicit drug abuse amongst the youth.

Some residents appealed to the government to increase Ipelegeng allowance and requested for the construction of a community hall in the village. Ends