23 Apr 2020

Kgosi Isaac Banyaditse of Maokane has applauded government for the Covid-19 relief food baskets, which are currently being provided to the hardest hit households.

In an interview, he said most residents in Maokane lived from hand to mouth hence the decision to give them food baskets was a welcome development.

“ Nobody was prepared for this pandemic, but government is making an effort to provide people with basic food items to survive,” he said.

He urged Batswana to provide accurate information during assessment so that the relief packages were only given to deserving individuals. He said if people gave wrong information about their living standards then groceries would not serve the intended purpose since those who need the relief packages the most would not get them.

On the issue of permits, Kgosi Banyaditse said even though Covid-19 came at the time when the country was in the harvesting period, the local assessment committee made thorough assessments before issuing out movements permits. He said the committee comprised of various stakeholders from essential services so that each department could advise accordingly.

He urged people to understand the situation and adjust their way of living.

“Let’s all accept that the current situation does not allow us to live normal lives,” he noted.

He appealed to people to heed advise from health professionals by staying home and complying with precaution measures. He said adherence to precautionary measures was the best defence against Covid-19 and could help the country to return to normalcy within a short time.

However, Kgosi Banyaditse noted that even though Maokane residents were responding well to precautionary measures, it was hard to observe social distancing in households, which were overcrowded. He said such living conditions were likely to thwart efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

He also said residents have decried exorbitant prices in local shops, hence wanted movement permits to buy from large supermarkets at lower prices. Ends