08 Feb 2021

Members of Parliament on Thursday continued to debate the 2021/22 proposed national budget with Gabane-Mmankgodi and Boteti East MPs supporting the finance and economic development minister’s proposals.

Gabane-Mmankgodi MP, Mr Kagiso Mmusi welcomed the 2021/22 budget proposals, saying development projects earmarked across the country would help resuscitate the economy.

Mr Mmusi said major infrastructural projects, particularly road and rail developments to be undertaken by the Minister of Transport and Communications, would provide easy access to areas of production and further said they would help with economic diversification by attracting foreign investors.

He said the country had abundant coal reserves and that road and rail infrastructure had to be improved for their utilisation.

MP Mmusi also welcomed Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects, saying they would help transform the country to a high income status.

Commenting on the development funds allocated to the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, he said he was happy as most funds were going to be used on water distribution in different parts of the country.

The ministry is to spend P2.93 billion, which is 85 per cent of its total allocation, on water projects across the country.

He said his constituency was experiencing shortage of water and they remained hopeful that the Masama-Mmamashia water pipeline would put an end to water shortages.

MP Mmusi also said there were areas in his constituency such as Mokolwe and Rakola which did not have stand pipes.

Regarding land allocation, he said the Mogoditshane Sub Land board was experiencing a high number of people waiting to be allocated residential plots.

He said some people were willing to hand over their agricultural fiends to pave way for residential plots, and urged the ministry to speed up the process.

The Gabane-Mmankgodi MP also decried the poor state of Gabane infrastructure development, saying the village recently experienced floods due to the poor workmanship.

He also complained about infrastructure development in Mogoditshane Block 9, saying it was taking long to complete.

He also complained about delays in the development of the dual carriageway from Mogoditshane Pula Spar junction to Mmankgodi, saying he did not understand what caused the delay since the project was fully funded.

He noted that the project was beneficial to three constituencies and therefore important.

The three constituencies are Gabane-Mmankgodi, Mogoditshane and Thamaga-Kumakwane.

He said another delay he did not understand was the access road from Boatle to Mmankgodi.

Meanwhile MP Mmusi, who is Minister for Defence, Justice and Security, said his ministry would not acquire fighter jets and that funds allocated to the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) would be used to improve the welfare of the men and women in uniform.

For his part, Boteti East MP, Mr  Setlhomo Lelatisitswe called upon Batswana to continue adhering to COVID-19 protocols. He said the nation must remain united and put aside their political differences in the fight against the disease.

He applauded the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr Thapelo Matsheka for having steered the economy through difficult challenges brought by the pandemic.

MP Lelatisitswe, however,  decried the low level of developments in his constituency although it housed profitable diamond mines.

He said Letlhakane was experiencing a high influx of residents and that it should be declared a district.

He said Letlhakane did not have a storm water drainage system which resulted in floods during the rainy season.

He called upon government to use a more researched special development document which showed the potential of Letlhakane as an economic hub.

MP Lelatisitswe further said the village should have been set up as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and provided with necessary infrastructure.

He also said the village should be provided with water from Shashe Dam.The Boteti East legislator said the country should develop a law on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to force companies to undertake community projects where they operated.

He said Batswana should be allocated plots in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) to enable them to tap into the lucrative tourism industry. ENDS