04 May 2021

Maun West MP, Mr Dumelang Saleshando, has commended men for responding positively to the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine.

He said men were known to drag their feet in health issues, but they defied the odds by taking the vaccine in large numbers.

Mr Saleshando made the remarks when addressing residents of Makgalo and Xaamute settlements in his constituency.

He informed residents that he was amongst the first group to take the vaccine in Maun because he wanted to lead by example and motivate the public to take the vaccine. He was impressed to see more elderly men patiently queuing for the vaccine.

The MP implored all those who might be reluctant to step up and take their doses. 

He assured residents that the vaccine was safe for use by all.

He informed residents that coronavirus was real as attested to by high rate of deaths and positive cases, adding that the greater Maun zone was not an exception since it experienced a spike of positive cases and deaths.

Although Mr Saleshando stated that statistics of positive cases had slightly dropped, he appealed to residents to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner and adhere to health safety measures.

He encouraged them to continue taking the responsibility of their lives by fighting the pandemic and taking heed of government efforts towards total containment of the virus.

MP Saleshando called for reduction of unnecessary movements to contain the virus.

For their part, residents urged government to roll out the vaccination campaign to small villages and settlements in an effort to bring services closer to the people.

They noted that accessing the vaccine in Maun was a challenge because some were economically challenged and could not afford transport fares. 

As such, they requested that the vaccine roll out campaign should focus on using kgotlas to ease burden from health facilities and to cater for elders who could not travel.

Residents also decried shortage of water in their areas, stating that they fetched water from the river and other water sources for drinking and thus compromised their health safety.

They called on relevant authority to urgently address the water woes stating that water was critical in fight against COVID 19.

Residents appreciated that washing hands with clean water and soap was one of the prevention measures of coronavirus, hence government providing potable water for them.

Komana /Makgalo Village Development Committee chairperson, Ms Keitumetse Ratlhako explained that Makgalo area was vast with an increased population, but residents struggled to access potable water.

She also complained about lack of bridge, noting that some residents residing on the other side of the river were struggling to cross when the river was flooded.

In response, MP Saleshando appreciated that there was an outcry of water crisis in ungazetted settlements and stated that the issue called for review of Settlement Policy, adding that it was unfortunate to deny people water because their areas were not recognised.

Some residents, he said, had stayed in settlements even before the country’s independence and promised them that he would take up the matter with relevant authorities.

He also promised the residents to engage health officials to see how best they could arrange easy access to COVID vaccines.

Mr Saleshando briefed residents on the recently launched policy on Elephant Management Plan and Action Plan as well as guidelines for keeping game animals in fields.

He explained that any Motswana who has a registered field could apply for keeping wild animals in his/her field. ends