22 Aug 2019

Government has been commended for introducing an Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP), which helped to transform communities.

Hukuntsi Sub-district Council chairperson, Ms Goratwamang Tlhage, said this during a sub-council session recently.

Ms Tlhage said their journey had not been easy because they assumed office towards the end of the National Development Plan (NDP 10), which was extended by a year to coincide with the then Vision 2016.

She said the NDP 10 budget was tight and only few projects were implemented.

Ms Tlhage said in 2015, government introduced ESP to revitalize the economy.

She said the sub-district benefitted substantially from the programme because it managed to construct Zutshwa Customary Court, classroom blocks under the backlog eradication project as well as toilets at Lehututu and Lokgwabe primary schools.

Ms Tlhage said they were also given a package of 23 nurses’ houses to address shortage of accommodation.

Other development projects, she added, included Matsheng access roads, Hukuntsi revenue office and staff houses and Kang Anti-poaching Unit. She noted that Matsheng access road project started in January 2018 and was expected to be completed by May this year, but had been moved to November.

Sub-district council chairperson said the road project amounted to P133. 9 million and expenditure as at July was P66. 7 million while the overall progress was at 90 per cent.

As for the Hukuntsi revenue office, Ms Tlhage said the project started on August 2017 and ended in June this year, but it had been revised since the works were not yet completed.

She said the project amounted to P41 million and expenditure as at July was P29. 8 million. The overall progress was said to be at 90 per cent complete.

The P217.2 million Kang infrastructure project, which started on June 26, 2017 was still ongoing and the expected completion date was June this year, but it had since been revised to December to accommodate additional works.

The expenditure to date was P103. 3 million advance payment and the actual project stood at 59 per cent while the Kang Anti-poaching Unit started on July 18, 2017 and was completed on March this year. She said the contract amounted to P114.6 million and expenditure as at July 2019 was P87.6 million and the overall progress stood at 90 per cent.

Furthermore, she said another notable development was the introduction of Auto Teller Machines (ATMs) by Botswana Savings Bank in Hukuntsi and Kang, adding that such installations came handy as communities were now able to access their finances with ease.

Moreover, she also mentioned the installation of streetlights in Hukuntsi, delivered through community constituency funding while projects such as staff housing and guest houses are expected to be delivered before end of year.

“This is a legacy that we are leaving behind and I believe those succeeding us will continue the legacy,” she said.

Despite notable developments in the area, council chairperson said the next councillors must drive issues, like shortage of water for both human consumption and livestock, human wildlife conflict, maintenance of gravel roads that connects Hukuntsi with settlements, malnutrition, and poor academic results.

She said addressing the above mentioned challenges could go a long way in transforming the local economy.

.ENDS