14 Oct 2013

Bobirwa MP, Mr Shaw Kgathi has told residents of Mabolwe that government is ready and willing to open Mabolwe border post between Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Speaking during a kgotla meeting on October 10, Mr Kgathi said negotiations were on-going between the two countries to facilitate opening of the border. He said he was aware that residents had, for a long time, been pleading for the border to be opened.

“We are ready and we have demonstrated our commitment by placing infrastructure and officers on standby. We are simply waiting for the other party to react. But we can’t force Zimbabwe to open the border if they are not willing to do so,” he said.

Mr Kgathi said the two countries were in constant discussions to speed up operations at the border, adding that the August 1 deadline was extended because of the July 31 general election in Zimbabwe. He said after the elections Zimbabwe had to wait for almost two months to finalise formation of cabinet, which caused further delays.

Mr Kgathi refuted allegations that Botswana was not willing to open the border because of soured relations with Zimbabwe and further revealed that the ministers responsible would discuss the issue at the upcoming Joint Permanent Commission on Defense and Security in Harare.

On other issues, Mr Kgathi expressed concern about the poor work ethic demonstrated by some civil servants who report late to duty and meetings. He said such low ethics affect the country’s performance on Global Competitiveness ratings.

He said the perception that “there is no hurry in Botswana” had potential to scare away investors. He further urged village development committees (VDCs) to plan for projects so that they could be incorporated into the District Development Plan (DPP) and National Development Plan (NDP).

Mr Kgathi also urged residents to use their democratic right and register for the general elections so that they could vote for a leader of their choice. For his part, VDC chairperson, Mr Situle Madiope said residents were happy that the clinic and tribal administration offices had been electrified.

He said the staff at the clinic had been increased to two nurses and further revealed that the clinic will roll out anti-retrovial drugs this month. “Workers under Ipelegeng have also been increased from 100 to 146 and some will be engaged to maintain the felled cordon fence along the border,” he said. Ends