01 Sep 2021

At least 4 600 frontline workers in Kweneng district have received at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Kweneng District Council chairperson has said. 

Addressing councillors at the opening of the third session of the ordinary full council meeting, Mr Motlhophi Leo said the majority of frontline workers who received their first dose included teaching staff at 44 per cent followed by health care workers at 38 per cent while other frontline workers were below 5 per cent. 

Mr Leo noted that the majority of those workers received Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Meanwhile a total of 35 406 in Kweneng East and and 20 643 in Kweneng West have been vaccinated. The district continued to register new cases even as vaccination was in full swing. 

Mr Leo said as at Monday August 23 statistics for cumulative registered positive cases in Kweneng district stood at 34 433 since the start of the pandemic. 

However, he said, Mogoditshane clusters continued to register more cases accounting for 50 per cent of the new cases. Kweneng East, which included Molepolole, Lentsweletau and Thamaga clusters, followed at 42 per cent while Letlhakeng sub district registered 8 per cent of all positive cases. 

On other issues, the chairperson noted that communities continued complain about violation of Bye Laws as well as delegated legislation. 

He said of late, there was an outcry over violation of the Industrial Development Act, which the Bye Law unit had been delegated to enforce. He said the most notorious violators of the Act were brick molding businesses. 

Mr Leo further said council was worried by the perpetuation of violation of the Day Care Centre bye laws, as owners of those learning institutions continued to disregard requirements for running of Day Care Centres. He therefore urged the public to ensure that they took their children to schools, that adhered to the requirements. In order to address this matter, Kweneng District Council recently published the names of licensed Day Care Centres in the district. 

With regards to re-opening of schools, he said the council was facing a number of difficulties including shortage of books, “We still find ourselves with a huge shortfall with respect to textbooks in the region and we are doing everything within our powers to provide a conducive environment for teaching and learning to effectively take place.” 

He however stated that the region had been allocated approximately P8 million for the procurement of books. 

Updating councillors on the water situation in the district, Mr Leo explained that Gamononyane-Molepolole North South Carrier (NSC) Connection project had been awarded to Zhentai/Dan Joint Venture. He said the P785.5 million project was scheduled to starts September 7, and would take 18 months. 

The project will upgrade bulk water supply to Molepolole, Thebephatshwa, Gamodubu, Gakgatla, Mmanoko, Kopong and Gamononyane. ends