22 Aug 2023

The state of schools in the North East District is not attractive or conducive to learning and that might ultimately affect academic performance.

This was said by the District Officer-Development, Ms Omphile Mogorosi, when presenting the North East District Strategy to Siviya and Ramokgwebana residents recently.

Ms Mogorosi said maintenance of schools had not been done over a long period of time and that had resulted in dilapidation of buildings.This situation affects learners during winter when temperatures are low due to broken windows and doors, she said. On roads, Ms Mogorosi said of the total 622 kilometers of linking roads in the North East District, only 208 kilometres were tarred while 415 kilometres of roads were of gravel and earth.

“There was however a challenge in terms of maintenance owing to resource constraints,” she said.

On local economic empowerment, Ms Mogorosi said the district’s proximity to Francistown had impacted negatively on local suppliers as departments procure goods and services outside the district.

She said the district hosted some manufacturers, producers, service providers and farmers who could supply the already available market. “These producers and service providers include horticulture businesses, butcheries, textile, bakeries, brick moulding, stationary shops and others,” she said. She complained about the growing trend of vandalism and theft of cables, which had disrupted the flow of electricity and intimately ended up affecting service provision due to the prolonged lack of power.

“Water pipes were also vandalized especially shallow surface lines for livestock watering during dry season and this leads to water contamination,” she said.

She spoke of late and delayed payments of beneficiaries of ISPAAD due to insufficient funds, adding that some beneficiaries under the programme did not register during registration time but ended up being assisted.

This, she said, had a negative impact on the budget allocation as the numbers would have surpassed the original budget hence delays.

Ms Mogorosi expressed concern about the increasing number of people who provide false information when applying for Omang. She said 18 cases were reported.

Commenting on the strategy, one resident, Mr Paul Kgaje, requested that youth centers be constructed to attract youth from the streets. Kgosi Grace Butale of Butale said they periodically hold bilateral talks with their counterparts in Zimbabwe along the border and the talks were fruitful as some stolen properties were recovered.

Kgosi Butale said the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and the Special Support Group (SSG) camps along the border be brought closer to each other to close the gap between them in order to fight cross border crime.

Kgosi Thapelo Sebokolodi requested for increased security in areas with old mines in the greater Matsiloje, as gold was being mined day and night. ends