Mmadikola — The community of Sekgophane on the outskirts of Mmadikola village are the owners of a borehole worth P58 128 courtesy of Vice President Slumber Tsogwane through his company, Aquamarine Drills in partnership with H & J Wholesalers.
Residents are currently forced to travel long distance to fetch water something that the VP hopes would soon be a thing of the past.
Presenting the borehole on November 11, Mr Tsogwane promised to help with casing and diesel supply while Botswana Books would assist with equipping the borehole and installation of solar panels.
Neighbouring villages of Xhumo and Kedia are also expected to benefit from the 30-metre deep borehole, which has a yield of eight cubic milimetres per hour.
Mr Tsogwane appealed to Boteti Sub-district Council to come on board and assist with borehole operations.
The vice president stated that the intention was to support agricultural production in Boteti, encourage farmers to utilise government programmes and create employment opportunities through food processing initiatives.
Mr Tsogwane said it was important to uphold the age-old Boteti tradition of riverbank farming.
He said another intention was to form a trust for the youth and assist them with a borehole under Tshomarelo Trust to enable them to sustain themselves through horticulture.
The borehole, he said, would come in handy for such purposes as farming and providing water for livestock once the Boteti Southern Cluster Water Project, to be funded by World Bank, was implemented.
He said government's aim was to address unemployment among the youth, promote manufacturing of farm produce as well as realising an export-led economy.
The vice president, who is also Boteti West MP, noted that Botswana was the only country that manufactured Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine for cattle.
He however, noted that more research was needed to enable the discovery of more locally made vaccines.
Mr Tsogwane further challenged the youth to venture into brick manufacturing businesses using clay soil.
Kgosi Tlhabologo Boima commended Mr Tsogwane for the donation while Mr Hameed Kunju of H & J Wholesalers underscored the importance of water hence the decision to help Sekgophane community.
Source : BOPA