24 Apr 2020

Foley village leadership happy with compliance

Kgosi Olebile Khumo of Foley in the Tonota sub-district says most of the residents are complying with COVID-19 measures despite a few incidents of mischief by school going children who roamed the streets at the beginning of the extreme social distancing period.

Khosi Khumo said in an interview that the situation was now under control, following an appeal to parents by the COVID-19 taskteam to rein-in their children.

“Also members of security agencies conducted patrols throughout the village in the recent past and I believe this has also helped in a way,” he said.

That being the case, Kgosi Khumo expressed misgivings that some people who were given essential services permits to travel to Tonota and Francistown for medical attention lacked transport to honour doctors’ appointments.

Also, he said although the village task team charged with issuance of permits during lockdown was trying its best to issue few permits daily to curtail movement, lack of facilities such as post offices and banks frustrated their efforts.

Foley COVID-19 task team chairperson, Ms Caroline Tsopane said as one of the measures to restrain unneccessary movement by residents, who usually travelled about 33 kilometers to Tonota to buy food, they had issued commercial permits to tuck-shop owners across the village.

“We are only having a problem with people who ask for permits to go to banks in Tonota which leaves us with no option but to assist them to go and access their money,” she said.

On the other hand, Foley and Makomoto villages agronomy field assistant, Ms Gaontebale Class, who is a member of Foley COVID-19 task team, said only a few farmers in the area had come forth to register their produce to sell to government.

“Three people have expressed interest to sell melons, four want to sell dried bean leaves while one wants to sell 45 bags of sorghum,” she said. ENDS