Masunga — The long-standing issue of lack of maintenance that has rocked schools around the country will be a thing of the past come 2024/25 financial year, says President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi.
President Masisi said this during a kgotla meeting in Masunga yesterday.
Dr Masisi, who prior to the kgotla meeting visited Masunga Senior Secondary School to appreciate the damage caused by the recent fires that gutted the school's boys and girls hostels, said the issue of unavailability of the maintenance budget should be dealt away with.
Furthermore, Dr Masisi expressed his displeasure about poor workmanship of some contractors engaged to build public facilities, which he said cost government a lot of money.
"Ke lemogile go re puso e jewa ntsoma go simolola fela kwa ditogamaanong tsa dikago dingwe tsa puso jaaka dikole. Nako e ntsi badirisi ba dikago tse ba a itlhokomolosiwa fa go dirwa mealo ya tsone," he said adding that to add salt to injury qualified inspectors gave such facilities the green light.
He instructed that schools across the country that have non-functional boilers should henceforth put in place stringent regulations such as the ban of the use of kettles to avert eruption of fires. It is suspected that an electric kettle started the fire that gutted the Masunga Senior Secondary School girls' hostel which will require government to pop out P1.8 million.
President Masisi suggested, that consequence management could be among the many solutions that could help hold to account dereliction of duty by contractors.
He said government was considering the decentralisation of the education sector that would give school heads the budget and power to attend to the needs of their respective schools.
On the issue of illegal immigrants, especially people from Zimbabwe, President Masisi said the governments of Botswana and Zimbabwe had devised forums to deal with the matter.
He asked Batswana to exercise restraint and empathise with their fellow neighbours, whom he said were grappling with dire economic situation as a result of sanctions imposed on Zimbabweans by the west.
The protracted sanctions, he said, had crippled the economy of Zimbabwe so much so that many had migrated to neighbouring countries such as Botswana in search of green pastures.
Any difference the West have with Zimbabwe according to President Masisi should be resolved amicably as opposed to making ordinary citizens suffer the consequences of such stringent measures.
Also, President Masisi told residents, government of Botswana was considering to court Zimbabwe with a view to have people of the two nations access either country using their national identity cards. On other issues, residents were told to prepare for Temo Letlotlo agricultural programme, which is meant to augment throughput and ensure food security.
The programme would have components such as tractor subsidy and other such pertinent farming implements.
President Masisi stated that the envisaged programme, expected to commence end of October would replace ISPAAD, which was wasteful and unreliable.
He told resident that P21 billion had been set aside for the development of infrastructure particularly roads, which include the A3, Nata-Maun as well as Shakawe.
Residents also learnt that plans were afoot to find ways to secure land for the people of the North West.
Ministers with different portfolios and senior government officials appraised the gathering with the services they rendered.
One of the residents, Mr Obusitse Nshagashogwe complained about what he termed bias within the North East district council in the tendering process.
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The same multi-national companies, he said were engaged at the expense of budding local companies run by the youth, something the Minister of Transport and Public Works, Mr Eric Molale said should not be allowed given the country's economic inclusion policy.
His response was buttressed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Gaba Mogapi who explained that the North East council had a list of suppliers that alternated to give each entity equal opportunity.
Earlier Kgosi Maruje III of Masunga commended President Masisi for upholding the tenets of democracy Botswana had been known for since independence.
"Ga re belaele sepe o tsere taolo. Re go setse morago," he said.
BOPA
