31 Jan 2022

The upgrading of Gopong Primary School in Mmathethe/Molapowabojang constituency will start soon.

Addressing Gopong residents in a Kgotla meeting on Friday afternoon, the area’s Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Edwin Dikoloti said four companies had been contracted for the project.

He explained that the expansion entailed construction of more blocks of classrooms and teachers houses. “I have been informed that the construction site will be handed to the contractors on the 8th of February,” he said.

Dr Dikoloti said the school would admit classes from standard one to seven upon completion of the project.

The school has been admitting standard one and two classes only, such that pupils from the village were forced to attend school in nearby villages of Digawana and Lorwana for middle and senior classes.

Dr Dikoloti further said arrangements had also been made for pupils who graduated to standard three this year to continue classes in Gopong.

“The education department and office of the district commissioner have assured me that all amenities including books and other stationery have been provided to cater for the new standard threes,” he said.

In his welcome remarks, the headman of Gopong, Mr Moatlhodi Kgwakgwe expressed concern about crime in the village. He said house breaking was the leading crime in the village.

He therefore asked for provision of a police officer and volunteers police officers to combat crime in the village.

He said police officers from Digawana took long to attend to crime reports from Gopong.

He further said the community of Gopong was asking for construction of a culvert at the river crossing on the road linking their village to Molapowabojang.

The chairperson of Gopong Village Development Committee (VDC), Mr Kabo Phale said new developments that the community wanted included construction of a maternity ward, a clinic and the tarring of the road linking the school and the Kgotla and clinic.

He also asked for provision of another community development officer to cater for the rapidly increasing population of the village.

The VDC chairperson also wanted feedback about was caused the stalling of the community hall project. Scores of residents complained about the slow pace of allocation of residential plots in Gopong.

However, Mr Molefane Segonetso from Mmathethe Sub Land Board said close to 200 plots were allocated to residents of Gopong.

He said the problem was that some people sold their land after being allocated plots and later on claimed that the land board was denying them land. Ends