09 May 2021

Tonota MP, Mr Pono Moatlhodi says rising incidents of child neglect in his area of jurisdiction were worrying and need to be nipped in the bud.

Failure to take proper care of children by some parents, Mr Moatlhodi stated, was part of the reason some children ended up becoming undesirable elements within society.

The Tonota lawmaker also warned some parents against  defeating the ends of justice by sweeping incidents of defilement under the carpet.

Another matter that troubled Mr Moatlhodi was the overwhelming number of able-bodied and youthful people enlisted in the social welfare programme.

“Mabesekwa has a total of 123 people on welfare,” he said, expressing worry that not all the people that made the list were deserving.

He thus welcomed the idea by the social welfare department to conduct mass assessment of all its beneficiaries, saying the exercise would help fish out undeserving people and ensure only the right people benefit.

Child neglect is a form of abuse, an egregious behaviour of caregivers that results in deprivation of children of their basic needs, including the failure to provide adequate supervision, health care and many others.

So rife is the phenomenon in the area that the constituency occupies second spot countrywide.

During comments, members of Mabesekwa VDC complained about the growing and disturbing trend whereby pupils who do extremely well at the Lone Primary School in the village, end up flunking their Junior Certificate at Dukwi Junior Secondary School.

They wondered what the root cause could be for such dismal failure, with some even suggesting that such pupils should continue with their studies in nearby places, closer to parents.

They also expressed unhappiness that the social welfare department took too long to issue uniforms to pupils under its care, which they said had a negative bearing on their academic performance.

Ms Boineelo Kgageng, a nurse at Mabesekwa clinic, told the meeting that , only one COVID-19 case was recorded since the outbreak last year and that the people in question had long recovered and assimilated back into society.

She said the high maternity rate of up to 10 women referred to the city of Francistown justified the construction of a maternity wing at the facility.

Ms Keakabetse Letsogile, who spoke on behalf of Tonota sub-district’s Senior Assistant Council Secretary, blamed local suppliers for delays in supplying uniforms, saying they failed to fulfill their contractual obligations.

Ms Letsogile also challenged the Village Extension Team in Mabesekwa to rise to the occasion and perform its functions accordingly. Ends