09 Dec 2020

Kgatleng Councillors have been urged to encourage their constituents to report issues of child abuse to the relevant authorities and play an active part in child protection committee activities. 

Speaking at the Kgatleng Full Council session on Monday, the chairperson, Mr Daniel Molokwe said the council continued to record high numbers of child abuse cases in the district with defilement and rape being the most prevalent.

Mr Molokwe further said some of the cases went unreported, hence their continued efforts to sensitise the community on the need to protect children from all forms of abuse through village child protection committees. 

Moreover, Mr Molokwe said since the easing of the COVID-19 lockdown, the council enrolled 105 persons in the destitution programme and registered 59 needy students.

He said reasons advanced by those seeking enrolment was lack of income due to the effects of COVID-19.

Mr Molokwe said the Department of Social & Community Development had, for the past years, been taking orphans for a retreat camp to offer them psycho-social support, but such would not occur this year due to COVID-19.

He, however, said the department would continue giving individual counselling to orphans and their caregivers. 

Meanwhile, Mr Molokwe said with regard to pensions, the council was experiencing congestion at Mochudi Post Office on the first day of each month due to impatient beneficiaries, who could not wait for the scheduled payment dates at their wards.

“In order to reduce congestion at the post office and in line with COVID-19 regulations, the department, together with BotswanaPost, plans to introduce a system whereby the first 100 beneficiaries would be issued with numbered cards,” he said.

He said the idea to assist the first 100 beneficiaries was to adhere to social distancing and reduced the time taken at the pay point.

Mr Molokwe said the village leadership was implored to advise beneficiaries to adhere to the payment schedule as communicated to avoid congestion.

He expressed gratitude to some village pension committee members who continued to volunteer their services, for controlling the queue and ensuring compliance to COVID-19 protocols at Mochudi Post Office and other pay points. Ends