11 Oct 2022

It is not yet time for Mabolwe to be installed with streets lights, according to some residents. 

They told the area Member of Parliament during a recent meeting that solar street lights did not feature in their top three priority projects under constituency community projects (CCP).

In the priority list, residents said they listed a recreational and or sports facility, reading room and an office for the school head at the village’s primary school.

However, the residents were surprised to learn that their village, one of the three that form MASEGO (Mabolwe, Semolale and Gobojango) ward, would be installed with solar lights as per the projects memorandum from the office of the MP.

Residents said they needed a community recreational facility that would aid in resuscitating the village economy after being bruised by impacts of COVID-19.

“We want a sports/recreational facility ahead of streets lights. The facility is of greater importance to us in that it would facilitate local economy especially during holidays,” said village development chairperson, Mr Morgan Makgosana.

He said with the sports facility, people of Mabolwe would sell various products at one focal point, which would in the process garner them some profits. 

He said the facility should be built through their P330 000 share of CCP funds.

Each of the three villages share P1 million that is disbursed per ward. 

Other speakers too dismissed street lights as a priority project for their village.

However, area MP, Mr Taolo Lucas, pleaded with the residents to accept the lights. 

Although the MP conceded that a ward of three villages was a disadvantage when it came to CCP funds, he called on the people to accept the project.

He admitted that many wards had requested street lights, hence inclusion of Mabolwe amongst the proposals. 

However, the MP said the solar street lights project had encountered  a glitch: the price of lights had skyrocketed, something that would force his office to reconsider projects.

Mr Lucas said initially Bobonong was planned to have 240 solar lights, however, the number was cut down to 140, adding a light cost P29 000. 

With this price, the MP said, the project might be a pipe dream.

“We will engage with stakeholders on this matter to determine the next step of action,”, he said, adding reduction in the number of lights was too steep to accept.  Ends