01 May 2025

The Tonota-Patayamatebele gravel road is not included for bitumen upgrading in the National Development Plan (NDP) 12.

Addressing a series of kgotla meetings in Patayamatebe and Ditladi yesterday, Tati East MP, Mr Tlhabologa Furniture acknowledged the road’s urgent need for P17 million in re-gravelling maintenance.

He also briefed the residents on the plans to acquire a grader through the Community Constituency Project (CCP) fund. He further unveiled plans to purchase a water bowser using the CCP fund.

 Mr Furniture announced the purchase of a vehicle for constituency office staff, to enable them to conduct kgotla meetings and address resident concerns.

Patayamatebe Village Development Committee (VDC) chairperson, Ms Oarabile Lekone praised Botswana Power Corporation for electricity connections in some civil servants houses in the village.

Ms Lekone also thanked Orange Botswana for WI-FI connectivity at the kgotla and primary school but emphasised the need for a permanent health post due to the mobile clinics’ infrequent visits. 

She also highlighted the insufficient drinking water supply, delivered once a week by a single water bowser, and the desire to revert to the safe water source at the Tati River.

She reiterated the community’s request for both regular gravel road maintenance and bitumen upgrading of the Tonota-Patayamatebele road, citing dangerous conditions due to overgrown vegetation.

She also requested a police vehicle for local officers, as the shared vehicle from Matopi settlement took long time to reach Patayamatebe.

Residents also echoed these concerns, emphasising the severe drinking water shortage and expressing frustration over days without water.

They suggested a return to the Tati River for water and voiced the problem of elephants destroying crops and the theft of donkeys, severely impacting agricultural activities.

Water Utilities Corporation sub-cluster supervisor in Tati Siding, Mr Dithemo Jonas said the corporation was committed to reverting to the Tati River well point, pending completion of the Greater Francistown Master Water project.

He acknowledged the significant water access challenges facing Patayamatebe and Matopi, and explained that water bowser maintenance was further hampered by the condition of the Tonota-Patayamatebe gravel road.

In Ditladi, Mr Furniture highlighted the importance of Technical and Vocational Education and government’s renewed focus on vocational training centres to address the skills gap and provide opportunities in a diverse range of professions.

He said government’s commitment to vocational training was a crucial step in diversifying the economy and creating opportunities beyond traditional white-collar employment.

He also stressed that the relocation of primary healthcare services from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs would ensure access of healthcare for all Batswana.

Ditladi VDC chairperson, Mr Mompi David raised a concern about the deplorable state of the road connecting Tonota-Ditladi and Patayamatebele. 

He said Ditladi was one of the areas where horticultural farming was thriving and the poor road conditions made it difficult and risky for farmers to transport their produce to the markets. He also informed the MP that the local health post needed upgrading to a fully-fledged clinic and that it was short-staffed.

Despite these challenges, Mr David offered a note of gratitude and commended the government for the installation of SmartBots at the kgotla and the provision of computers to the local primary school by the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority. ENDS