05 Dec 2019

Government has been called upon to resuscitate Selebi Phikwe as a matter of urgency. 

Debating the State-of-Nation-Address on December 4, MP for Selebi Phikwe East, Mr Kgoberego Nkawana said the town had been abandoned following the closure of the BCL mine. 

He, therefore, said it was important for government to set up industries that could boost the town’s economy that had since collapsed.

Mr Nkawana said factory shells that used to keep the town thriving have turned into church halls while some were warehouses.

He said government had since promised to help revitalise the town’s economy but had failed as the setting up of the Selebi Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU) had not borne much fruit.

He was of the view that SPEDU was set up irrationally as its mandate was never clear. He added that government had failed to lead SPEDU and also failed to identify potential investors who could revitalise the town’s economy.

“Following closure of the mine, all industries that sustained the town such as the textile industry collapsed,” he stated. 

Mr Nkawana further said Phikwe had ample land which could be used or allocated for viable projects that could bring the town to life.

He further called for the construction of a hospital and a technical college to engage the idling youth.

He complained that Selebi Phikwe residents were at risk of contracting diseases through contaminated water because the town had a lot of pit latrines. 

On other issues, he called on government to diversify the tourism sector through cultural tourism, which he said had a great potential in the Bobirwa area.

Meanwhile, MP for Mahalapye East, Mr Yandani Boko thanked the electorate for entrusting their votes with him as the youngest serving MP.

He said government should consider constructing a senior secondary school in the constituency, which he said had many junior secondary schools.

He said Mahalapye East was a service centre for villages around it such as Makwate, Mmaphashalala and Pallaroad, hence pupils travelled long distances to access the only senior secondary school in Mahalapye.

He also said poverty was a major concern for his constituents, adding that they lived undignified lives as they could not afford basic needs.

He said government had not done much to address a plethora of problems faced by his constituents such as ill-equipped health facilities, the lack of youth a centre and counselling facility while the crime rate was high.

Mr Boko also advised government to consider addressing the challenges faced by the justice system such as their working conditions.

He called for constructions of more courts and that government should increase judges to speed up the backlog of cases.

Mr Boko said magistrates should be protected, especially at their residences, as they dealt with serious cases which might endanger their lives.

He also said government should capacitate oversight institutions such as the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime.

He added that it was high time cases involving prominent people were seriously dealt with. Ends