19 Jan 2020

Ngami Member of Parliament Mr Caterpillar Hikuama has called on government officials to work with honesty to achieve the country’s mandate of equal distribution of services and resources to communities.

He said this in a meeting with the community leaders, development agencies, government officials and trade union representatives in Gumare recently.

Mr Hikuama told the officials that in order for the public to be served well, leadership and officials had to work as a team and differ in thoughts of development not hatred. 

“We all have to exercise honesty, fairness and justice in our leadership.

That way the people we are serving will benefit equally. 

You don’t have to please everybody, but rather be honest so that everybody gets equal treatment,” Mr Hikuama said.

The MP also called on the officials to have a representative strategy and full knowledge of others in order to bring change and better achievements. 

Mr Hikuama said employees needed to establish district leadership fora so that they discuss the district problems and come up with solutions as a team.

Meanwhile, the employees aired the challenges they were faced with at their respective organisations such as poor roads, shortage of staff, water and teenage pregnancy in the region, among others. 

Mr Taolo Habano, former Ngami MP said as farmers they were concerned about the open sewage pond located around Tlhale cattle post that exposed their cattle to risks of measles. 

“When the BMC finds that cattle are affected by measles, it condemns them and at the end the farmer is the one who is affected,” he said. 

Chief medical officer at Okavango District Health Management Team (DHMT), Dr Bokwena Moali said water shortage was a hindrance to their performance at the hospital. 

She explained that the hospital needed water every minute because they had different kinds of patients and also the maternity ward. 

“Even if the village receives water, sometimes that is not the case at the hospitals, the taps are always dry. 

We have asked for help from the CTO, council and Water Utilities Corporation, but it is still not sufficient because you have to do follow-ups every day,” said Dr Moali.

Ms Kesegofetse Merapelo, the assistant district AIDS coordinator, told the MP that they were worried about high numbers of teenage pregnancy cases in the region. 

Okavango Sub-district Council chairperson, Mr Mpoke Karapo said his office was aware of most of the problems in the region and they were working together with relevant stakeholders to address some. 

Mr Karapo noted that the current water supply did not meet the demand, hence their proposal to drill a borehole at Phale that would supply the village. Ends