Africa-Press – Botswana. The arrangement for Ipelegeng workers to receive wages through the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) payment system has rubbed residents of Molapowabojang the wrong way.
In a kgotla meeting addressed by Kanye East Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Prince Mosanana on Monday, a resident Ms Dineo Sekaba alleged that the Kanye District Council had instituted the new arrangement in November without prior engagement with Ipelegeng beneficiaries and other key stakeholders such as the Village Development Committee (VDC).
Ms Sekaba said since November, it had been a hassle for workers to receive their wages, a situation that she said was compounded by the lack of a BTC office in their village.
“It is costly as the workers have to travel to Kanye to access the payment service. It is even more challenging for the elderly as well as those who are financially-challenged,” she said, and suggested that BTC be advised to set up a service centre in Molapowabojang to improve residents’ access to its services.
Giving a report of his committee, VDC chairperson Mr Sydney Kgengwenyane decried the lack of an access road into the village, which he said was despite Molapowabojang being situated along a busy highway.
Mr Kgengwenyane further requested the extension of the local clinic to include a maternity wing. He said the village had outgrown the current facility, hence the need for it to offer additional services to residents.
He highlighted the need for street lights, particularly tower lights, saying the lack of street lighting was one of the contributing factors to the rise of criminal activities in the village.
He asked that the police post in Molapowabojang be upgraded into a full police station to address the growing crime rate.
Mr Kgengwenyane also requested that a storm-water drainage network be constructed in the village, observing that Molapowabojang’s uneven landscape made water flow uncontrollable whenever it rained.
When welcoming the area MP, Kgosi Kedirile Letshabo of Molapowabojang raised the issue of the paving of internal roads, saying they were awaiting an explanation from council on why their village did not get the promised distance of pavements.
After noting residents’ concerns and grievances, Mr Mosanana expressed gratitude to the people of Molapowabojang for having entrusted him with the responsibility to be their representative in Parliament.
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