11 May 2021

Ngamiland region legislators have underscored the need for all structures to come on board to push for developments in the district.

Members of Parliament (MPs) for Ngami, Maun East and Okavango constituencies, Messrs. Caterpillar Hikuama, Goretetse Kekgonegile and Kenny Kapinga made the remarks during a kgotla meeting to discuss development issues affecting the Ngami area, especially the Sehithwa-Mohembo road.

They stressed the need for all to join forces and speak with one voice, saying it was a pity that their district was behind in terms of developments though it was a tourism hub. They said tourism was the second contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP,) yet the area was engulfed in poverty. 

They were hopeful that if they could collectively and successfully advocate for construction of the Sehithwa-Mohembo road, other developments would follow.

Ngami MP, Mr Hikuama revealed that team spirit, from all levels of operations, was critical to change the image of  Sehithwa village, which is a service centre. 

He said an agreement had been reached to put aside P3 million from Constituency Community Programme (CCP) towards paving of internal roads at Sehithwa, adding that the council would assist with which roads to prioritise.

“We believe that if we can team up and join our energies, we can address challenges faced by our district, as working in silos cannot take us anywhere,” he added.

Sehithwa village, he said, used to be rich because the economic value was high, but nowadays the community was struggling even to access basic services.

Mr Hikuama also expressed concern about the status of the Sehithwa-Mohembo road, saying their efforts to convince  government to improve it bore no fruit. He said road infrastructure was a basic necessity for developments, as good roads stimulated businesses and local economy as well as made life easier for the community.

He informed the gathering that he believed that if the road could be improved, it would support the tourism industry to eventually become the number one contributor to the GDP. 

Mr Hikuama said construction of the state of art bridge at Mohembo was nearing completion and it needed good roads to match it.

Okavango area MP, Mr Kapinga informed the gathering that they met after elections and resolved to work as a unit for the betterment of their communities.

He said they had come up with a vision of ‘an educated, economically empowered, healthy and safe community with access to modern infrastructure’ because they vowed to advocate for the community to have access to infrastructure, citing road infrastructure as one of the top priorities.

He concurred that road infrastructure was a base to services, but it was unfortunate as roads across the district were worn out. 

Mr Kapinga revealed that team approach was paramount to address challenges in the district, hence the meeting to solicit support from the community.

He said the Sehithwa-Mohembo road was a disaster, adding, ‘we want government to allocate a budget for the project as a matter of urgency and start implementation’.

Recently, he said they were informed that the road would be implemented through the Public Private Partnership model, but they were against the idea because it would take time.

Maun East MP, Mr Kekgonegile called on the community to rally behind the district leadership to achieve the set vision, adding that they would not stop talking until they saw a difference.

Other regions, he said, were far in terms of developments and encouraged the community to take part in preparations for development plans such as NDP 12. 

Mr Kekgonegile said they should include infrastructure projects such as construction of hospitals and Rural Administrative Centres in such areas as Sehithwa. 

He said they were advocating for the establishment of an Institute of Health Sciences at Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital and construction of the Maun-Kasane highway to open up trade. Ends