15 Nov 2022

Council’s burial of supposed paupers, who have not been registered with it has placed a strain on its already limited resources. Molepolole Administrative Authority (MAA) Lentsweletau Sub Council Chairman Mr Allen Jacob said this at the beginning of the council meeting on Monday.

“It is worth noting that burial of non-registered paupers poses serious budget challenges to the department as the numbers have been escalating every quarter against slim margins of financial projections made for this assistance,” he said referring to the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development (S&CD).

Mr Jacob said S&CD spent P66 000 on burial of non-registered paupers in October alone, and challenged councillors to come up with initiatives that could encourage people to participate in their socio-economic development and eventually reduce their reliance on government.

He further said partnering with local mortuary businesses in community capacity building through education could create a platform for access to cheaper products for funeral services.

The sub council chairman said the S&CD was taking care of 5 847 beneficiaries among them orphans, needy students, children in need of care and home based-care patients.

Mr Jacob said the sub district was grappling with abuse of social safety and other services provided by the government.

“This includes fraudulent behaviours by food ration recipients, electronic cash payments, medical check-up fares, disability fares to mention but a few,” he said.

Meanwhile the chairman said the Ministry of Agriculture planned to use a two-hector community garden in Kweneng settlement as a hub where demonstrations for advanced technologies on crops such as rice, wheat, quinoua and fodder production would be done. “I am reliably informed that they will use the land until 2026 and thereafter hand it back to the community.

Furthermore, they will drill and equip the borehole, install irrigation equipment and install automated weather station,” he said. On other issues, Mr Jacob said the sub district an outbreak of diarrhoea from week ending August 13 to week ending October 15, 2022, where 720 cases of diarrhea with no dehydration, 139 diarrhoea with dehydration and 11 cases of diarrhea with blood were registered.

No death were recorded, he said.

He further said the Ministry of Education and Skills Development would provide schools in the region with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment to facilitate ICT integration into teaching and learning.

He said supply of the equipment had already started in other parts of the country and and expressed hope that Kgari Sechele Senior Secondary School would receive the facilities before the end of the year. Mr Jabobs said the ministry had also partnered with BOCRA to install and supply ICT infrastructure in 59 primary schools in Kweneng region.

“It is hoped that the use of ICT in teaching and learning will go a long way in developing learners’ proficiency and fluency with tools of technology,” as expected of the 21st century learner, he said.

The chairman also reminded Kweneng residents that President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi was expected to resume the bull donation initiative and would be donating bulls in Molepolole North and South constituencies today.

The venues had not yet been communicated at time of print. ENDS