Africa-Press – Botswana. Deliberate steps must be taken to improve the quality of life of communities in Letlhakeng Constituency, area Member of Parliament, Mr Domcaza Mokgwathi said when debating the State-of-the-Nation Address.
Mr Mokgwathi said poverty in the area was severe because the previous administration had neglected it.
The MP said he was hopeful that the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) led government would do right by it.
The area lacks basic necessities as roads, water, quality healthcare and education, Mr Mokgwathi said and pointed out that there was only one major tarred road, which passed through the constituency, while the rest of the roads were gravel.
He said the poor road infrastructure had made it difficult to lure investors into the area, and those with those with investments in the area charged high prices to compensate for the undesirable state of roads, which compounded the challenges faces by communities.
The MP said for a long time, the government had explained to them that tourists preferred gravel roads but that was of no use to the community since they benefitted nothing from the tourism sector.
Faced with a shortage of health facilities, nurses and doctors, Mr Mokgwathi said, patients in the area could take as long as three months before being seen by a doctor.
He informed Parliament that with help from government, farmers in the area could do better to grow the agricultural sector and help the country attain self-sufficiency.
Furthermore, Mr Mokgwathi said insinuations of tribalism should be taken seriously and every tribe deserved respect.
Ngami MP, Mr Philemon Aaron also complained about the high level of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment in his constituency.
He said inadequate development had resulted in some public officers showing reluctance to serve in the area, which led to shortage of skilled personnel such as doctors and other specialists.
Although the area could be developed through the tourism sector, Mr Aaron said this was not the case as areas such as Tubu, Habu, Nokaneng,Tsau and Gumare did not have tourism concessions.
He said this was despite the fact that other areas in the periphery of the tourism areas were benefiting economically from their allotted concessions, which he said were not only assisting economically but also addressed issues of poaching since residents tended to appreciate the benefits of wildlife other than it being a food source.
Mr Aaron said Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and human wildlife conflict negatively affected the constituency’s food security.
He said although they faced FMD restrictions, those who ploughed and reared animals had to fight off wild animals that feasted on them.
Shashe West MP, Mr Jeremiah Frenzel for his part, said the electorate in most parts of the country were clear that they wanted the Botswana Democratic Party out of government, a development he said challenged the UDC to deliver on its promises.
The MP said Shashe West Constituency was underdeveloped with some children attending junior secondary schools about 210 kilometers away from their villages hence he pleaded that one of those be turned into a unified school.
He further pleaded for provision of drinking water, as well as the construction of a police station in the constituency to deal with growing crime.
The legislator said all health facilities in the constituency closed on weekends due to shortage of health professionals and that made it difficult for community members to access them when they needed to during weekends.
Mr Frenzel said the construction of A3 road should be a priority given its significance to the country’s economy and also made a request that roads linking villages in the constituency be upgraded to tarmac status.
Source: DAILYNEWS
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