09 Dec 2019

Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Kabo Morwaeng has informed Parliament of his intention to visit the Nata-Gweta area that is prone to floods.

Answering a question in Parliament, he said he would update Parliament about future plans to assist Nata-Gweta residents after a full assessment had been done with relevant stakeholders. 

Mr Morwaeng said government departments being the Deputy District Commissioner, Senior Assistant Council Secretary through the disaster management committee would ensure a well-coordinated disaster response to the disaster.

While acknowledging a peculiar scenario of the area, he stated that the Nata-Gweta like other areas prone to disaster would be looked into holistically and the government would come up with a strategy as to how residents could be assisted. 

The minister said currently there was no compensation provided by government to those affected by disasters. 

His sentiments followed requests from MPs that the Nata Gweta should be declared a disaster area, owing to the frequent disaster that befell the area.

The MPs argued that government should play a role and come up with concerted measures to assist residents whose homesteads, ploughing fields and cattle posts and livestock were destroyed by heavy floods. 

They argued that there must be compensation plan specifically for the Nata-Gweta area because residents had become poor due to rampant floods.  

Mr Morwaeng said government previously assisted residents at Gweta, Tsokotshaa and Zoroga victims with blankets, tents and food following Dineo floods in 2017.

He said the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration had also commissioned a study on how to reduce the impacts of floods particularly in Gweta and Zoroga, adding that the study was due for completion beginning the next financial year.

He said the study would upon completion, recommend appropriate flood mitigation measures that included how floodwaters should be re-directed.

“Disaster risk management plans have also been developed together with the communities to prepare for future floods,” he said.

Mr Morwaeng said there was the maintenance of Nata-Gweta road as a short term solution and that the Nata-Maun road was planned for re-construction as a long term solution. 

He also said people whose homesteads, ploughing fields and cattle posts were destroyed had not yet been reallocated pending strategic environmental assessment, adding that once completed, priority would be given to victims for residential plot allocation.

MP for Nata-Gweta, Mr Polson Majaga had wanted to know how the Nata-Gweta constituencies were assisted in the aftermath of Dineo floods.

He asked if the ministry was aware that the roads which were damaged during the floods had not been maintained and whether the residents would be compensated.

Mr Majaga further wanted to know if residents who had lost homesteads, ploughing lands and cattle posts that were destroyed by floods would be allocated other pieces of land. ends