Dan Mosekaphofu
4 April 2008
Gaborone — From just a mere village whose landscape was characterised by Mophane trees and ploughing fields, Tati Siding is quickly evolving into a town.
This high rate of urbanisation is accompanied by a complete revolution in socio-economic activities. One man who is watching the transformation of this village with an eagle's eye is the village chief, Simon Nkgageng, who shares the joys and challenges that are brought about by these developments that are moving at a supersonic speed.
Nkgageng reveals that "the village is still growing. We have recently allocated about 600 new residential plots". He boasts that growth and development of the village shows in the infrastructure. Nkgageng is also happy with the construction of a new primary school. "This is one of the developmental projects that the village has been blessed with," he says. Nkgageng says that the rapid developments in the village are a result of the good working relationship with the stakeholders. "We have a good working relationship with the Village Development Committee to see to it that the designated projects are actually undertaken and are in the best interest of the people we are serving," he explained.
He also reveals that they have a good working relationship with the local schools. "We as the village elders have forged close ties with our local schools to try and deal with the issue of moral decay that has unfortunately gripped most schools around the country. This is bearing positive results," he says with a smile. Nkgageng however admits that these fast paced developments do not only have positive results. He cites crime as one of the issues that they have to grapple with, particularly cases of house break-ins and theft. "Due to the influx of people to this village and its close proximity to Francistown some criminal activities are noticeable. House break-ins remain a cause for concern. We are however doing our best together with the police to arrest the situation," he declared.
Alcoholism, particularly amongst the youth, is another thorny issue that characterises the development of this village. "We are however very strict on ensuring that the bar operators adhere to the stipulated times and periods of operation," he says.
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