04 Jun 2019

Kweneng District Council (KDC) is experiencing poor domestic waste collection, especially in Molepolole and Mogoditshane.

Kweneng District Council chairperson, Mr Geffrey Sibisibi said this during the official opening of KDC’s full council meeting on June 3.

Mr Sibisibi said in the first quarter, the district had not been able to meet the demand for domestic waste collection due to breakdown of the refuse collection fleet and insufficient funds for outsourcing the service.

The situation, the chairperson stated, had exacerbated illegal dumping of waste in non-designated areas around Kweneng  villages.

He requested members of the public to pile domestic garbage within their yards, while efforts were being made to normalise the situation.

In a related matter, the council chairperson raised a concern over fire outbreaks at the regional Gamodubu Landfill, which he said prompted installation of four 10 000-litre water tanks as a fire emergency preparedness intervention.

On other issues, the full council was briefed about proposed plans for the use of the plantation between Prisons Department and Garanta ward in Molepolole for the village expansion.

“A layout plan has been prepared to accommodate residential plots and a commercial centre,” said Mr Sibisibi.

The other area to be considered, he said, was in the north of Molepolole, detailed to cater for residential plots and support land use.

“In an endeavour to finalise preparation of Molepolole Development Plan, a team has been instituted to work on the exercise,” said the council chairperson.

The task team, Mr Sibisibi stated, took a decision to align the plan to the proposed major village infrastructural project, such as the Molepolole Sewerage, Molepolole through road and the water supply project.

He said the team was also expected to expedite the entire process to allow development of a layout for expansion areas that have been identified and serviced by the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services.

On a different note, the council chairperson reported that the Department of Road Transport was considering issuance of permits for some routes across the district, where taxis and long route buses would benefit.

The transport advisory board, he said, is currently adjudicating 569 applications out of the 942 received.

Mr Sibisibi encouraged individuals who would be issued with permits to act responsibly, with the understanding that the idea behind the arrangement was not only for economic empowerment, but also for passengers’ convenience.

Meanwhile, Scottish Livingstone Memorial Hospital reported on the annual cataract surgeries campaign planned for June 3-21.

The campaign, led by a surgeon from India, Dr Shroff, is aimed to benefit over 1 000 patients and it will be followed by the open heart surgery slated for June 27 - August 8 with a total of eight patients expected to undergo the surgery.

On developmental issues in the district, a briefing was made relating to construction of a pre-school classroom block project at Hatsalatladi Primary School to be financed by the Japanese government.

The project will comprise a teaching and learning space for reception classes, with the intention to form a sound foundation for quality education. ENDS