Africa-Press – Botswana. Lerala residents have expressed gratitude towards government’s commitment to bringing some of the promised and long awaited developments in the area to be implemented in the next financial year.
Presenting a village development committee (VDC) report at a kgotla meeting addressed by President, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi on Tuesday, the VDC chairperson, Mr Leruo Matala said the upcoming developments included Lerala hospital project, Lerala Police Post and the Palapye-Martin’s Drift road project.
He said for a long time, Lerala residents had been requesting for construction of a primary hospital because the population had outgrown clinic services, adding that now they were happy that a bigger facility was on cards.
At the same meeting, Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe assured Batswapong that construction of a state-of-the-art level one hospital would commence in the 2023/2024 financial year.
He said the 53-bed facility, which would be constructed under government’s new Transitional National Development Plan(TNDP), would come with staff houses.
With an estimated budget of P250 million, the project is said to be in phases, and will see P100 million being used in the 2023/2024 financial year, while the remaining P150 million will be utilised during the 2024/2025 financial year.
Mr Lelatisitswe said government, in partnership with some NGO, was undertaking a project of upgrading Maunatlala Clinic to add a maternity wing.
Minister of Defence and Security, Mr Kagiso Mmusi told Lerala meeting attendants that the village was one of the beneficiaries of the 28 police posts to be constructed across the country in the next financial year.
The project, Minister Mmusi said, would see construction of an advanced police post with seven staff houses and more police officers.
Earlier, Lerala Kgosi Sello Moroka had complained about the rampant crime incidents in his area, which Mr Mmusi said with the arrival of more police officers and an advanced police post, such incidents would be curbed or minimised.
On another issue, the minister implored the community to work together with the police in the fight against illicit drugs that had bedevilled the country.
Mr Mmusi also talked about granting of bails to offenders in the country, saying currently, bail granting was under review, with the intention to come up with policies that would make it difficult for offenders to get them.
Still on developments coming to Tswapong in the next financial year, Minister of Transport and Public Works, Mr Eric Molale said a decision had been taken to reconstruct the Palapye-Martin’s Drift road, which had long reached its life span.
He said with the new development manager model of implementing projects in the country, government would ensure delivery was on time and within budget.
Meanwhile, residents decried the bad state of Lerala-Majwaneng gravel road, which they said was the shortest route connecting the two villages, hence appealed for it to also be done.
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