07 Mar 2019

Residents of Mmathethe want their village to be coordinated at Kanye Administration Authority and not Good Hope Administration Authority where they are currently coordinated. 

 Representing residents at a kgotla meeting where heads of government departments servicing Mmathethe area were invited, Mr Odirile Abraham said residents were concerned about shortage of water, constant power cuts and outages and delays in the implementation of projects.

“Residents are in dire shortage of water and this has become a major outcry in the village,” he said. 

Mr Abraham said the village was given a borehole by Diagnofirm, which was then handed over to the Department of Water Utilities so that it could be used to serve the village, adding that since then they have not been updated as to whether it was being utilised or not.

 He also said there was an outcry of constant power cuts and outages in the village.

Mr Abraham said they have long been promised construction of the Mmathethe-Tsoaneng road, which has since been put on hold. He said the Mmathethe-Mosi road was planned to be constructed under the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP), but that there have been no update, adding that the road was essential as farmers used it.

Mr Abraham also wanted an update with regard to the construction of the community service centre. He noted that construction had been halted, but that the community had never been informed about the reasons. He said the building was now becoming dilapidated as cattle and goat were trespassing the area.

Furthermore, he indicated that they were also promised the construction of street lights by the Good Hope Sub-district, but that it has never materialised. 

He said based on that they were requesting for the coordination of their village to be placed under the leadership of Kanye Administrative Authority and not Good Hope Sub District.    

Former Member of Parliament for Mmathethe-Molapowabojang, Mr Peter Siele expressed concern and dissatisfaction of the failure of heads of department in honouring the meeting.

Mr Siele said the failure by heads of departments to honour the invitation was disheartening and a clear indication and demonstration of reluctance to serve. He requested the district commissioner to set another date where pleas from the community could be addressed in the presence heads of deparrtment.

“It is unacceptable for the leadership to be taking residents for granted. We, therefore, request the district commissioner to go back and organise themselves,” he said. 

In his welcome remarks, headman of records, Mr Reuben Mosala said residents were dissatisfied that it had been long since their Member of Parliament had addressed them and provided an update of developments in their village, nor sought advice with regard to motions which he could table at Parliament.

Mr Mosala noted that it was under that premise that they were compelled to call heads of various government departments in order to seek answers to some of the challenges of service provision experienced in the village. 

In his response, assistant district commissioner, Mr Mmoloki Bakang noted that the construction of the Mmathethe-Tsoaneng and Mmathethe–Mosi roads had been differed due to lack of funds. He, however, noted that part of the Mmathethe-Mosi road had been partly graded, but that it was not completed as a result of financial constraints.

With regard to the status of the service centre, Mr Bakang noted that the constructor had abandoned the roject, but said the project was now under the re-tendering process at the ministerial tender committee. He also shared that all clinics would be upgraded throughout the country, adding that Mmathethe was one of them. 

He, however, indicated that other issues would be relayed in consultation with the concerned departments for clarity. Ends