24 Nov 2022

Politicians and civil servants in the Mabutsane Sub-district have been advised to work together given that the area faced a lot of challenges due to its remoteness.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of a week-long virtual council session Wednesday, the sub-district’s council chairman, Mr Poloko Mokwaise said failure by the two parties to work together meant failure of service delivery.“I urge you to always sit together, share challenges and shortcomings, understand each other and seek the best possible solutions for the benefit of our constituents. This is all the reason we are here,” he said.

Mr Mokwaise said when councillors and civil servants met in forums such as council meetings, tempers always flared but that should be viewed as having contituents’ interests at heart rather than friction.

“We both have a responsibility to our constituents, a responsibility to improve their livelihoods and if one party feels that the other is not doing enough, tempers may rise here and there, but ultimately we have to reach an amicable understanding to enable us to take services to the people as per our mandate,” he advised.

Meanwhile Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) supervisor for the area, Mr John Nkomba has informed the council that Sekoma water pipe blockage, especially at Mothwae ward, was a result of shrub ingrowth which was attended to last month.

“Currently all wards in Sekoma have normal water flow. Keng and Khonkhwa have certain wards having low pressure to no water and our investigations have shown that this was due to the fact that many connections were tapping from a 25mm coil pipe instead of a 63mm one,” he said.

Mr Nkomba said plans had been initiated to replace the coil pipes with 63mm PVC ones.

The meeting heard that the replacement could have been long completed were it not for delays caused by  machinery breakdown.

Mr Nkomba said Keng pipe replacement was expected to be completed next month and Khonkhwa in January.

He was responding to councilor Ms Nolly Dikgokgwane’s concern that some pipelines at Sekoma, Keng, Khonkhwa failed to avail water.

She had wanted to know when WUC would carry out maintainence work on them.

On another issue, councillors were informed that the process of transferring a medical doctor from Mabutsane to Khakhea was ongoing and was likely to have been completed by January. ENDS