16 Jan 2020

Residents of Matsiloje and Matopi in Tati East constituency have decried state of the road that connects the two villages.

The residents expressed these concerns during kgotla meetings addressed by their area Member of Parliament, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe on Tuesday.

They suggested that the road be graded to allow for easy movement and to protect their vehicles from damage.

Grading of the road, they said, would also create a convenient route for people to cross over to places such as Patayamatebele and Selebi Phikwe, thereby reducing traffic on the A1 road.

They also demanded that their clinics be maintained since most of the wardrooms were no longer in a habitable condition.

In Matsiloje, Village Development Committee chairperson, Ms Annah Majama, further requested assistance from government in the development of a village garden, which had not been in operation for some time now due to damage.

They also requested that the damaged drifts within the village be turned into culverts to stop the flood waters in the village when it rains.

Other issues raised by the residents were land allocation and scarcity.

They also said there was need for a sewage plan in the village’s future development plans.

One of the youth, Tshepho Mafojane urged other youth to get involved in the village committee to help with the development of their village.

“We fail to attend kgotla meetings as we get bored listening to future plans that do not cater for us as the youth in the immediate, but we are vibrant and have fresh ideas that can help in developing our village,” she said.

At Matopi, residents requested for a tower light, a computer and a landline in their kgotla office.

They also requested that the compensation process for those affected by damage caused by elephants be speeded up to enable them to continue to plough their fields.

They also requested to be allowed to clear their roads and earn money, instead of the council employing outside companies.

For his part, Dr Letsholathebe commended the VDCs for their commitment to developing their villages, adding that they assisted in formulation and implementation of national development plans.

He thus urged residents to be aware of who they elected as members of the committees since such committees were capable of building or destroying a village.

Dr Letsholathebe, who is also the Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, said he was aware of land issues in both villages.

He added that the responsible department was faced with challenges of shortage of funds to assess the land before it was allocated.

However, he said government was committed to reaching an agreement with the owners of unused lands surrounding villages to buy and allocate it to residents.

Dr Letsholathebe further said he would ensure that the mines surrounding the villages were reopened in order to create jobs for young people and locals.

The area MP, however, advised residents not to despair but to contribute where they can and work with the government to speed up developments in their villages.

Senior land surveyor at Tati Land Board, Mr Tapologo Budani, promised the residents that although there was a long waiting list, 100 people from Matsiloje and 264 from Matopi would be allocated land by the end of this year.

Department of Road Transport and Safety official, Ms Alakanani Wilson, told the residents that the road from Matsiloje-Matopi and Matopi-Patayamatebele would be upgraded through dry grading, which would begin once they receive a quotation from the contractor.

North East District Council chairperson, Ms Florence Mpetsane, said once funds had been received, clinics and schools would be maintained.

She also apologised to residents for the absence of a social welfare officer, adding that a new officer has been appointed.

Ms Mpetsane further applauded Matopi Primary school for scooping a 100 per cent pass rate from the 2019 Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) results. ENDS