13 Jan 2021

Members of Samedupi 2 Village Development Committee (VDC) have decried delay in implementation of the community constituency programme (CCP).

Presenting their grievances during a meeting with the area MP, Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile, on Monday, VDC vice chairperson, Mr Etsogile Senabye said they longed for developments and were pinning their hopes on CCP.

He explained that they submitted their project priority list every year, but they had not yet benefited from the programme. He stated that they once requested to be assisted with a mobile clinic, but to date, nothing happened.

Mr Senabye explained that residents, through the spirit of volunteerism, contributed P10 to construct an office, but the project was incomplete due to inadequate budget and requested the MP to assist with its completion.

He also stated that they had requested for a borehole, but the project was suspended and some resources, such as solar panels, had been taken away by the council and demanded an explanation.

Residents, he said, were eyeing the borehole to resolve their water woes, more so that the river was slowly drying up. Mr Senabye also complained about stock theft in the village, which he said was rampant.

He said most of the culprits were local children/youth, who allegedly slaughtered livestock in the nearby bush. 

He cited a recent incident, where a pile of goats and sheep hides were found hidden in the bush, which was reported to the police.

As a way to rectify the situation, the villagers, he said formed a committee which would focus on issues of stock theft. Mr Senabye explained that the committee would work hand in hand with the police to curb the stock theft.

He also raised a concern about the recruitment of some officers patrolling the river to curb illegal fishing, saying the relevant department hired people from Samedupi 3 and yet those of Samedupi 2 were residing adjacent to the river.

In response, Mr Kekgonegile said the CCP budget had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic since funds were diverted to address the situation. He also explained that the arrangement was that all villages should submit their priority lists in terms of developments for assessment. 

He said the intention was to complete all borehole projects that were behind schedule at Samedupi, Xana and Dikgatlhong, but it was unfortunate as there was no budget in the 2019/20 financial year.

Residents were informed that most of the projects had been suspended and were assured that once the government availed funding, they would be completed.

Mr Kekgonegile also noted that they intended to improve the road passing through Samedupi to Makalamabedi during the 2020/21 financial year. Ends