19 Jan 2014

Assistant Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Mr Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri has decried few numbers of Batswana accessing government programmes geared towards empowering them despite huge amount of capital invested on such assistance.

Addressing residents of Mankgwenyane ward in Molepolole North last week  he said district leadership in Molepolole should ensure implementation of programmes is done timely and efficiently. Mr Matlhabaphiri said Molepolole should emulate Chobe district where the local authority leadership is at the forefront of supervising government empowerment programme to ensure that beneficiaries get assisted accordingly.

He said though resources such as vehicles were a challenge in government, Chobe managed to overcome this and reach out to all beneficiaries, but in Kweneng district and Molepolole that was lacking as Batswana continue to complain of poor assistance. He said government has made a commitment to ensure that its flagship programmes such as youth programme and poverty eradication were a success and has availed resources and funds and it was worrying for officers to continue to complain about vehicle shortage needed during assessment of beneficiaries.

He said there was enough government fleet in the district and what lacked was district leadership presence to ensure that government collaborate to assist each other with vehicles to ensure continuation of government business. He encouraged employees to ensure that uptake of all government assistance programmes was improved in the district.

On other issues he implored those who did not register in the first voter registration to do so in the coming supplementary registration so as to express their democratic right in the 2014 election. He also said though boreholes at Gaothobogwe and Malwelwe were pumping enough water to meet demands in Molepolole and surroundings, some parts of Molepolole were still without water.

According to the minister this has forced Water Utilities Corporation to conduct tests and maintenance which are meant to identify causes of no supply in some water works areas. ENDS