26 Jul 2018

Tonota legislstor, Mr Thapelo Olopeng says the Penal Code amendment to raise the legal age of consent to sex from 16 to 18 aimed to address incidences of defilement and abuse of children.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Tonota on July 25, Mr Olopeng, who is also the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development explained that the amendment meant having sex with a person below the age of 18 with or without her consent is a criminal offence.

He said the new law would serve as a deterrent to would be perpetrators because cases of defilement were on the rise, noting that Mabesekwa had so far recorded nine cases, where girls under the age of 15 were defiled.

Mr Olopeng explained that at Shashe River School, girl students did not return to school after school vacation because of pregnancy, something which he said was a disturbing factor as it ruins the future of students.

He advised men to always ask for an identity card when they propose love to avoid defiling minors.

He appealed to women’s groups such as the Tonota based Lentswe la Bomme Association to educate girls about the dangers of having sex and getting pregnant at a tender age.

The association is made up of bo-Mmakgosi and other phenomenal women whose vision is to take the Tonota community to greater heights with an aim to assist their communities and school going children with advice on matters of life.

Minister Olopeng said those girls who become pregnant at a tender age become a burden on their parents and contribute to the high unemployment rate.

He also told the residents that the other bill, which Parliament passed was the one aimed at addressing the escalating theft of stock in the country.

He said jstock theft incidences were also on the rise because of some loopholes in the Stock Theft Act which needed to be amended.

On other issues, Mr Olopeng briefed the residents on projects that would be undertaken in the village under National Development Plan 11.

Government will build a primary hospital and a community sport field in Tonota during the current plan that ends in 2022, he said.

He also informed the resident that Tonota Sub District Council was currently installing street lights in the village even though the project was experiencing poor quality lighting.

However, he said the council would continue to erect street light poles while awaiting the company engaged to bring the lights, saying all the major internal tarred roads would be installed with street lights.

The Tonota legislator also said P7 million would be used to improve all internal gravel roads including the one connecting Majwaneng extension ward to Gulushabe farming lands.

Residents were also informed that government would upgrade the local clinic while at the same time re-opening the old clinic to reduce distance travelled by patients as well as congestion at the main clinic.

In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Bokamoso Radipitse appealed to politicians to behave themselves when they campaign to be elected during the primary and general elections.

Kgosi Radipitse said with election fever looming, some politicians have a tendency of misbehaving when they seek to be elected, noting that such would not be allowed to happen in his village. ENDS