08 Feb 2022

Government has budgeted P400 million for refurbishment of Athlone Hospital, Lobatse MP, Dr Thapelo Matsheka has said.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Peleng on Monday, he said the project was catered for in the National Development Plan (NDP) 11. 

He said the only disappointment was that the process of kick-starting implementation of the project was going at a slow pace.

“I recently asked the health minister when they are starting the project. 

I have also noticed questions in Parliament so that we can all be informed about the status of the project,” he said.

The MP admitted that the hospital was in deplorable state and required urgent attention. 

He pointed that he had contacted the Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services about the situation of allocation of residence plots in Lobatse.

“I have noticed a question to the minister to inform us why plots are not being allocated while there is some land available in Lobatse,” Dr Matsheka said. 

He said none allocation of plots was a concern to the leadership of the town.

On other issues, the MP expressed disappointment at the performance of Lobatse schools in the recently released Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) results. 

He said it was disappointing that not a single student attained merit from Lobatse.

“None of our schools is in the top 10. Our highest school was Itireleng at number 11 while Letsopa was very low at number 104,” he said.

He urged parents to ensure that their children took education seriously because poor academic performance would hamper their future. 

He said lack of discipline could be one of the contributing factors to poor performance.

Presenting on issues of concern to the community, chairperson of the town’s Umbrella Development Committee, Mr Thabang Dikae said crime was a major concern in Peleng. 

He therefore asked for increase in police patrols. 

He said visibility of the police could help to deter criminals. 

He also asked for provision of more tower lights to reduce darkness in the township.

Mr Dikae further said unemployment was also a big concern in Peleng. 

He said many young people were relying on Ipelegeng for employment. 

He pleaded with government to bring more investment to Lobatse to create employment. 

Mr Dikae said unemployment had led to drug abuse.

A number of residents complained about the dilapidated state of Athlone Hospital, shortage of doctors and medicine at the hospital and clinics  as well as non-allocation of residential plots. 

They also complained about poor refuse collection in the town.

Greater Lobatse DHMT head, Dr Motlalepula Pone, admitted that there was a severe shortage of doctors in the town. 

She said the situation was worsened by resignation of some doctors. BOPA