18 Aug 2022

Mmadinare constituency should wean itself of all wards falling on the southern part of the cordon fence that cuts between Sefhophe and Mogapi villages and acquire those wards that used to be part of the constituency on the western side of Mmadinare village.

Speaking in unison during a delimitation commission engagement in Mmadinare on Wednesday, representatives of the wards from Tobane, Tshokwe, Robelela, Damochojenaa and Mmadinare proposed that the constituency remained as was, due to low population quota, but lose and gain some wards.

The representatives proposed that Topisi, Moreomabele, Serule, Gojwane and Foley form part of Mmadinare constituency, while Mogapi, Mogapinyana, Kgagodi, Diloro, Maokatumo and Tamasane either be transferred to Palapye or Lerala/Maunatlala constituencies.

In their submissions, representatives said that the wards they proposed to form part of Mmadinare constituency shared common interests, language and some traditions, while those they wanted weaned off shared common interests with Lerala/Maunatlala and Palapye constituencies.

The wards representatives were not only in unison on maintaining the constituency, currently with 11 villages, but also spoke as one in alleging that many constituents were not enumerated during the 2022 population and housing census.

Their allegations were that many constituents were either at masimo or cattle posts, while others were harvesting phane.

Consequently, the representatives held that these constituents affected their numbers, which could amplify their calls for division of the constituency into two.

“When all these villages of Topisi, Moreomabele, Serule, Gojwane and Foley are brought back to us, Mmadinare will be a service centre for them,” said Mmadinare representative, Mr Motshegetsi Tukisi, who also said that there were no pressing reasons to divide the constituency.

He said the majority of the villages in the constituency lied along the tarred roads, save for Robelela and Tshokwe, adding however, that the two were not overly disadvantaged by their statuses of being located on the other side of the rivers.

Mr Leaname Sekai of Tshokwe conceded that the constituency did not qualify for splitting, adding that the challenges the constituency faced were not enormous.

“The distance between wards is not very pronounced and it does not pose any challenge to the area Member of Parliament,” said Mr Sekai, who also called for the villages west of Mmadinare to be transferred into the constituency to reduce travelling distance.

However, some individuals argued for division of the constituency on other factors than relying solely on population quota.

Although she conceded that the population quota was disadvantageous to them, Kgosi Maureen Mphoeng said that she had hoped that the constituency would be divided into two. 

She also alleged that had the constituents been enumerated thoroughly, the numbers would have soared.

Mr Boitumelo Motimedi of Mmadinare said that despite the low population quota, the constituency could still be divided into two; Mmadinare North and South, considering factors such as natural community interests, language and cultural ways.

Mr Motimedi proposed for Mmadinare North to consist of Tshokwe, Robelela, Tobane, Gojwane, Serule, Foley and Mmadinare, while the south would comprise of Sefhophe, Mogapi, Mogapinyana, Kgagodi, Diloro, Tamasane, Moreomabele and Topisi.

Another one supporting the split was Mr Ramorula Malore of Tshokwe. 

He argued that wards on the southern part of the cordon fence could not be transferred to Palapye, since the latter had numbers and qualified to be declared a township.

He also argued that many wards under Lerala/Maunatlala were not of BaTswapong as alleged by some proponents of transferring the villages on the southern part of the fence to Lerala/Maunatlala.

Mr Malore said as it was, Mmadinare constituency was vast and a challenge for any Member of Parliamenrt, hence qualified for a split. ends