10 Jul 2022

Mopipi residents and those from surrounding areas say, should the aspired formation of Boteti Central constituency be attained, the village should be made a service centre for such.

According to them, the new constituency should comprise Orapa, Mokoboxane, Mopipi, Kedia, Xhumo, Madikola and Toromoja.

Speaking during the Delimitation Commission consultative meeting in Mopipi recently, one of the residents, Mr Oreagetse Machilidza said Boteti region was broad as it stretched from Mmea to Makalamabedi. 

He highlighted that the distance from Mmea to Mopipi as well as that from Makalamabedi to Mopipi was almost the same, therefore Mopipi was ideal for a service centre.

He said infrastructural developments such as the rural administration centre would see more services and developments coming to Mopipi.

Mr Machilidza also highlighted that more developments would curb worrying incidences such as rural urban migration.

Mr Mpamidzi Mazathunya concurred with the idea of Mopipi being made a service centre, adding the move would see decentralisation of services.

For his part, Mr Justin Ketimilwe appealed to the commission to consider a special dispensation for Boteti region pertaining to the people’s request for a third constituency.

He said Boteti was faced with challenges such as vastness, distance between villages, bad terrain and lack of developments among other things.

Mr Ketimilwe suggested that the commission should consider a reduced quota for Boteti when it came to the required population.

Mr Dikhutso Matekane said that because of stretches between villages, sometimes MPs became overhwelmed during kgotla meetings.

Mr Winani Bosekilwe of Kedia also concurred that Boteti was broad and needed another constituency.

He said often times people were given a short time and a limited number of speakers during kgotla meetings because MPs would be in a rush to address in other villages the same day. Ends