21 Oct 2013

Tonota South MP, Mr Pono Moatlhodi has expressed a concern about some residents of Tonota who refuse school going children to be given priority at a local clinic.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Tonota on Friday, October 17, Mr Moatlhodi said he received a report from the clinic staff despite the Ministry of Health’s recommendation that elders, expectant mothers and students should be served first, some residents refused to allow such.

He explained that he was aware of the long hours that people spent at the clinic before being attended to but implored them to be patient. Mr Moatlhodi informed the residents that he had informed the Minister of Health about the shortage of staff and congestion at the clinic and he had since invited him to address a kgotla meeting in the village on what the ministry was planning to do to address the problems.

He said the other complaint that he received from the clinic was that while on one hand some patients were to the clinic drunk, others coerced nurses to recommend sick off for them. Mr Moatlhodi said in most cases, those kind of patients usually insulted the nurses when they failed to meet their demands.

On other issues, the MP appealed to parents to be partners in the education of the children, adding that there was an outcry from the schools in the village about failure by parents to attend Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meetings and pay school fees. Mr Moatlhodi lamented that some parents neglected their school going children and as a result children took advantage to desert school.

The MP said a total of 11 drop outs due to pregnancy were recorded in Tonota secondary schools and one at primary. He appealed to parents to play their role in moulding children into responsible citizens and also make them aware of societal ills such as teenage pregnancy. The MP, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, informed the residents that in the previous sitting of parliament approved four policies.

He said a total of 289 questions were asked while 36 motions from private members were registered. Mr Moatlhodi explained that from the 36 motions only five were tabled and 31 were still pending. The Deputy Speaker said eight questions were asked during the minister’s question time.

Mr Moatlhodi commended the residents for their cooperation during the outbreak of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in their area. One of the residents, Mr Victor Kgwatalala commended the government for being a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC). He said by joining the ICC the government was showing its commitment to shun genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Mr David Kapondora requested for the establishment of an Information Services office in Tonota, noting that the Francistown office did not have enough capacity and as a result some important activities in Tonota missed coverage. ENDS