16 Apr 2020

Principal social welfare officer for Mabutsane Sub-district, Mr Leletlanye Molaakgosi says due to the large number of people to assess for the COVID-19 relief programme, they have been forced to extend the assessment period to April 17.

Speaking in an interview, he said they started the assessment last week and observed that many people needed to be assessed than initially anticipated.

“We have 19 villages in our sub-district and so far, we have completed 14.

We have clustered them into three and each cluster has a team that does assessments and all the teams are currently busy on the ground,” he said.

He said they averaged 200 families per day and were confident that by Friday or Saturday all the villages would have been assessed.

Mr Molaakgosi also said they were faced with challenges of people being at their cattle posts and ploughing fields, and that they had made arrangements to visit such places after wrapping up the village. He also said they managed to engage seven temporary social workers to help.

“The seven temporary officers have done a sterling job. They were energetic and if it was not for their assistance, we might have been unable to finish this weekend as planned,” he said.

Mr Molaakgosi said assessments in the area were smooth except for a few challenges of people being absent from their homes.

 He said they had also decided that those assessed and found deserving should be given their packages right away rather than wait for the whole process to be completed.

He, however, said they had managed to assist only a few people as a result of shops running out of stock.

He said shop owners argued that wholesalers where they procured stock had been closed over the Easter holidays and they could not buy stock.

Mr Molaakgosi also expressed concern over some people who wanted to be included in the relief programme although the assessment showed that they did not need assistance.

“We cannot include everybody. Assessment is meant to eliminate some and net some,” he said.

Mr Molaakgosi advised the public to continue abiding by preventative measures that had been laid down.

 He also appreciated the cooperation of people in his area, and called for the gesture to continue throughout the assessment period. Ends