15 Nov 2022

The Marriage Persons Property Act has been amended to allow the Registrar of Deeds to correct errors on marriage instruments.

Speaking during a Moshupa sub-council virtual meeting on Monday, council chairperson, Mr Peter Sethibe said the amendment, which came into effect on July 15, this year, improved on the old act, which prescribed that spouses should apply to the high court for such corrections.

Further, he said, the amendment allowed for instruments not registered with deeds office, to be registered within 24 months post registration of a marriage.

Under the old act failure to register such instruments within the stipulated time rendered them null and void.

Mr Sethibe said the Societies Act had also been amended and now stipulated that all societies should re-register. Failure to do so would lead to de-registration.

He said registration would now be done annually and its validity be for the same period.

The sub-council chairperson also implored councillors to encourage their respective electorate to collect their Omang and other identification cards.

On other issues, Mr Sethibe said education was a very powerful tool that could transform the world in that it contributed to national building and peace processes.

“As government, our ultimate goal is to create a learning system that affords equal opportunities to all,” he said.

Mr Sethibe said significant strides had been made to cater for the needs of the previously disadvantaged communities as each village within the sub-district had a primary school.

“Our democratically elected administration has made school transport available through the donkey cart initiative in the rural areas and our learners no longer walk long distances to and from school,” he added.

He said the school nutrition programme was running smoothly across the sub-district, adding government was also advancing programmes around Early Childhood Development.

Mr Sethibe said the sub-district encountered no challenges during Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) and Junior Certificate Examinations (JCE) that took place during the months of October and November.

He said Machana and Bikwe primary schools’ pupils sat the PSLE exams for the first time.

Meanwhile, he said, Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations were ongoing until tomorrow.

He regretted the high incidence of teenage pregnancy in the sub-district in spite of efforts counsel children against sexual activity.

Mr Sethibe said there was need to come up with strategies to remove all obstacles to education as otherwise the country would not be able to achieve its goal of becoming a knowledge-based economy.

He added that schools would continue working with all stakeholders to address the challenges. ENDS