11 Sep 2022

Proliferation and abuse of drugs in Francistown South constituency calls for the community to re-double efforts to save the youth from perishing as a result of substance abuse. 

The situation according to Area MP, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi is compounded by the fact that the young people in the area are always loitering the street in groups even at night.

He told a kgotla meeting in Block Two last Friday that lest concerted efforts from both parents and the rest of the community were made the situation could spiral out of control and completely shutter the hopes of the youth.

“As your representative, I am concerned about this state of affairs where these young people can be seen loitering the streets even at night. Drugs are like the virus, once they get into one’s system it becomes almost impossible to stop taking them,” he warned.

The same, he said goes for pregnancies that have hit the area. High number of pregnancies, he told his audience simply meant protection during sexual intercourse was none existent; something he stated could spread HIV/AIDS and subsequently over stretch the already depleted national coffers.

On others issues, the Francistown South lawmaker painted to gloomy picture of the country’s economic trajectory, which he mentioned was the primary reason behind all time high unemployment as well as the exorbitant commodity prices.

“Currently the official unemployment figure is 23.3 per cent and you should bear in mind this exclude Ipelegeng workers and people who may have given up looking for jobs,” he added.

Tough economic situation, he relayed, was the reason the country continued to experience budget deficit year in year out and a rise of inflation rate to the end that the winter sitting Parliament had to remove Value Added Tax from items such as gas and cooking oil to cushion people.

Mr Mmolotsi said however that the government was disturbed to find out that there were some unethical retailers who did not reduce prices as per the requirements of the law.

To deal with the defiance, the government has resolved to take stern measures against such dealers so that the price reduction could substantially benefit Batswana who have been hard hit by the economy.

It is the Francistown legislator conviction that public employees who have hit 40 years and above should be given attractive exit packages that would lure them to venture into business and in the process create space for the young and unemployed graduates.

Constituents learnt also that the winter meeting of Parliament had passed a number of motions among them; the media practioners bill, Bank of Botswana bill, the Transfer Duty bill.

Earlier on Phase 4 Court President Mr Moses Masunga called on the community to rally behind the Ward Development Committee instead of always criticising its efforts.

He also called for a harmonious co-existence of the people of the area which he regretted continued to experience incidents of domestic abuse.

He said further that parents were obliged to be at the fore-front of the education of their children.

Ward Development Committee Chairperson, Ms Joyce Ernest told residents that majority of the projects, which included the paving of some roads in the area had been completed.

He was however not happy with the decision to construct a guest house in the area without prior consultation; something Mr Mmolotsi concurred with her and stated that it would not take place.

The only project that we have proposed is the construction of the amphitheater and not the guest house, he said.

Inspector Gaseediwe Kgoboko of Kutlwano Police promised residents of their support in the fight against crime especially petty crime such as the stealing of cell phones that was on the rise.

Commenting some residents were not happy that programmes such as the Youth Development Fund were not adequately addressing their plight.

They suggested the programme should never be interrupted so that many young people could access it and better their livelihoods and those of their communities.

Some youth also wanted the government to consider increasing the stipend given to Tirelo-Sechaba and Interns and where possible absorb such participants on permanent and pensionable basis. ends