09 Jan 2020

The Francistown East Constituency office will relocate to an accessible place in the near future.

Addressing a kgotla meeting at Satellite Ward, MP for the area, Mr Buti Billy told residents that the office’s current location was not accessible to many, especially the elderly.

He said residents would be duly informed once the new location  had been identified.

Mr Billy urged constituents to effectively utilise the office to access government programmes to improve their livelihoods.

Constituency offices, he explained, were a wing of the National Assembly established with the sole purpose of bringing parliamentary services closer to the people.

Mr Billy, who is Assistant Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture Development, said visiting the constituency office would give them access to documents such as Hansard, Botswana Constitution, bills and other Parliament related material.

It was also a place to seek assistance on matters pertaining  to Parliament, he said.

He said any member of the public, regardless of political affiliation, should enjoy access and services rendered by constituency offices.

Mr Billy pointed out that constituency office employees were public officers governed  by the Public Service Act and could therefore be reported for unsatisfactory service.

Stern action would be taken for contravening the act, he said.

On other issues, he said residents should not expect him to visit as frequently as in the past because he was now an assistant minister.

He said the same applied to the ward councillor, Mr Godisang Radisigo, now Francistown mayor.

Mr Billy however promised the of them would do their best to visit to share what had been discussed in Parliament and council sessions.

The assistant minister informed his audience that  government had introduced policies and programmes to fight unemployment but scourge continues to defeat the efforts.

He added that National Development Plan 11 and National Vision 2036 provided strategies and other alternative ways of fighting unemployment and poverty.

Mr Billy also briefed residents about issues raised in the State-Of-the-Nation-Address including the intention to review the National Youth Policy and the Youth Development Fund to make them more relevant to young people’s needs.

In her welcome remarks, Kgosi Lerato Mogopodi commended residents for behaving well during the just ended festive season as evidenced by fewer criminal activities recorded in the area.

Kgosi Mogopodi pleaded with parents to reprimand their children, especially during school vacations.

For his part, Mayor Radisigo told residents that serious action would now tbe taken against service levy defaulters noting that council was currently owed over P10 million.

Residents complained about illegal dumping of dead dogs in open spaces, especially at the football field. ENDS