01 Sep 2019

Lack of infrastructural developments such as roads and a hospital as well as water shortage formed the basis of the Moshupa/Manyana parliamentary debate in Moshupa on August 30.

The debate pitted Botswana Democratic Party’s (BDP) Mr Karabo Gare against Mr Ngaka Monageng of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).

In what seemed like a question and answer session between the duo, Mr Monageng said the constituency was lagging behind in terms of developments. 

He said the Moshupa hospital and Moshupa/Manyana road were some of the developments that were overdue.

He said although shortage of water was a concern that needed urgent attention, government was reluctant to provide a long term solution in their constituency.

 This, he said, resulted in some people getting contaminated water which was not safe for human consumption while others got nothing at all.

 “It is the government’s responsibility to provide clean water. This is an urgent matter,” he said.

Additionally, Mr Monageng said as an upper middle income country, Botswana was well positioned to afford the P3 000 minimum  wage which the UDC was advocating for. 

He also said creation of 100 000 jobs within 12 months was possible through initiatives such as Constituency Development Trust.

He noted that his party, through its manifesto, was prepared to address the concerns of constituents. 

He urged constituents to vote for representatives who had their best interest at heart and were ready to address their needs.

For his part, Mr Gare acknowledged that due to monetary constraints, some developments took longer than expected. 

However, he was adamant that construction of the Moshupa hospital would commence soon, as the construction site would be handed to the contractor on September 2.

He further noted that efforts had been made to address the water situation in Moshupa. 

He said although water supply through the North South Carrier (NSC) proved to be insufficient, he was optimistic that the new project would be operational. 

He said the project was almost complete and water testing was currently ongoing. Additionally, he said funds had been allocated to expand the water drainage system to cater for village growth.

Mr Gare noted that the Moshupa/Manyana road was on the plan, but that due to natural disasters which adversely affected some parts of the country, the project was deferred and the funds channeled towards assisting those areas. 

However, he noted that while government was still in talks with the Chinese government to help in this regard, grading of roads as a temporary measure was ongoing for easy access.

He noted that the BDP led government was also working round the clock to engage the private sector to create employment. 

He said the amendment of the Trade Licensing Act would go a long way in creating employment since a waver was made for businesses which did not require health inspection.  He also said government was carrying research with the intention to move from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy to create jobs, especially for young people. ENDS