07 Feb 2022

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution started its second week of consultative meetings in Ramotswa yesterday. The proximity of the Balete capital to Gaborone does not only result in high traffic volumes on the 18 km Gaborone-Boatle dual carriage way, but has also turned Ramotswa into a melting pot of sorts.

Kehumile Moekejo took to the streets of Ramotswa to get the general feel of those who failed to attend the Commission’s consultative meeting, and their understanding of the constitution.

Just a stone’s throw away from Kgosing ward, 70-year old Mr Joseph Mokgatle of Goo-Phelefu ward said even though he was aware of the ongoing kgotla meeting, he could not attend due to bereavement of a family member.

However, he wanted the constitution to be amended to give dikgosi more powers to allocate land. He said the land boards were doing a poor job as shown by delayed allocation of plots. He said a lot of families were crowded because young people were not allocated plots.

“I stay with all of my eight children and my grandchildren in the same yard because the land board has failed to give them plots. The land board has failed us and our youth, so I strongly believe that dikgosi should be given the responsibility and powers to allocate land,”he said.

Furthermore, Mr Mokgatle said it had taken a long time to review the constitution, and consequently called for the review to be done every five years.

His 44-year old disabled son Mr Ofentse Mokgatle concurred that at his age he was embarrassed to be staying with his parents’ despite having long applied for a plot. He said the constitution should have a provision for people living with disabilities to have a reserved quota as far as land allocation was concerned. He also decried unfair representation of people living with disabilities at the presidential commission.

“Representation of people living with disabilities in that commission is not enough because there is only one representative yet there are various disability categories such as physical, deaf and mental, among others,” he said. He further underscored the need for all people living with disability, irrespective of their capabilities, to benefit from the disability allowance. He said the current assessment system was not fair and left a lot of potential beneficiaries in the lurch.

On the other hand, 36-year old Ms Yvonne Barei of Goo-Shaodi ward claimed ignorance of the constitution and what it entailed. She also said she only heard about the kgotla meeting the same morning and was restricted to attend due to her dress code. She suggested that meetings should be announced during the week when most people were at home.

However, she said there was need to create employment and give priority to graduates who were loitering.

“I long graduated with a Diploma in Tourism Management from Limkokwing University but I currently work for Ipelegeng,” she said.

She also said the law should have a clear provision to force fathers to support their children, regardless of their marital status.

For 57-year old Mr Matshane Seepolole of Goo-Tshielo ward, the land issue was a burning one that needed urgent attention. He said most homes were made of extended families because the land board failed to allocate plots to young people.

Like Mr Mokgatle he wanted tribal land allocation to be the responsibility of magosi. He said dikgosi were in the best position to execute this mandate since they were the ones in touch with their communities and understood the challenges that they faced.

For her part, Ms Ithuteng Tingwane (64) of Ntshwene ward said the high unemployment rate was a breeding point for poverty in most families.
She said the constitution should clearly state how government intended to expedite plot allocation especially to the youth. She also said old age pension should start at 60 years to cushion them against poverty.

“Ga ke bereke, ga kena ngwana yo o berekang. Ke na le ngwana wa monalebogole le ene o thusiwa ka P450 mme ga a lekane ka ke one a rekang dijo mo lwapeng. Madinyana a teng ga a kgone go thusa mong wa one jaaka go tshwanetse.” ENDS