20 Mar 2022

Public officers must ensure that that government programmes and services reach the people on time.

Local government and rural development assistant minister Ms Talita Monnakgotla said this during kgotla a meeting in Sekhutlane Thursday.

Citing people with disability orphans and the underprivileged, as among those who needed oftenneeded help urgently, she urged public officers to ensure services were not delayed.

Ms Monnakgotla emphasised that delivery of services hinged on government officers’ timely implementation of projects.

She encouraged residents to take advantage of government’s economic inclusion initiative, which gave citizens opportunity to participate in the country’s economy.

The assistant minister said community constituency project funding was done for locals to better their lives, and therefore implored youth to venture into businesses so they can qualify for tendering for government projects.

She said the local businesses that supplied the school with food and clothes, among them the bakery; poultry, which provided eggs and the fashion design outfit were part of the local empowerment drive and were deliberately targeted to improve the financial status of locals.

On other issues, Ms Monnakgotla encouraged residents to partake in the ongoing constitutional review exercise and make useful submissions for the benefit of the country.

She also encouraged residents to avail themselves for the Population and Housing census that commenced on March 18, adding that the data collected would provided a universal baseline for planning, policy and programme formulation towards improving the standard and quality of life of the nation.

The minister’s tour was meant to engage the district leadership on Remote Area Development Programme (RADP) on challenges that impeded service delivery.

She also had an opportunity to tour schools to check on the welfare of destitute students as well as engage with Village Development Committees on the Ipelegeng programme, which she said had been revamped to optimise results.

For his part, Kgosi Kemelelo Seumako of Sekhutlane said the village needed an improved water reticulation system, given its growing population.

He said there was need for greater police visibility in his area to thwart increasing incidents of crime. He also and called for a fully-fledged border post at Mabule. ENDS