13 Jan 2019

Tonota MP, Mr Thapelo Olopeng, says government will not discontinue the Ipelegeng programme.

Responding to a comment by a resident of Foley during a kgotla meeting recently, Mr Olopeng said instead, government would improve the programme because it was a source of employment for Batswana in the rural areas.

On other issues, the MP outlined his dream to establish a cooperative society to fight unemployment amongst his constituents.

Mr Olopeng, who is also the Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, explained that the project would target youths in the constituency.

He said the cooperative society would attract a diverse number of business activities including piggery, poultry production, stock feed, sunflower, vegetable production and a market place along the A1 Road.

He explained that many cooperative societies collapsed due to poor management, adding that theirs would have a board whose key purpose would be to ensure that the society’s prosperity and goals were achieved.

The MP further briefed the residents on bills that were passed in the previous Parliament session and they included the Stocktheft Amendment Bill.

In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Olebile Khumo complained about lack of ploughing land and allocation of residential plots for his people.

Kgosi Khumo requested for the allocation of a vehicle to the kgotla, saying the kgotla had been operating without a vehicle since its establishment.

He said shortage of transport was a major challenge, which frustrated efforts to execute government duties within his jurisdiction.

Village Development Committee (VDC) chairperson, Mr Thatayaone Mathabe, expressed happiness that community projects were progressing well including construction of teachers’ houses.

However, he said there was need for construction of a storeroom at the clinic and the distribution of electricity in the village.

Residents welcomed the stocktheft amendment bill, saying cases of stocktheft were increasing at an alarming rate in their area. ENDS