07 Apr 2013

Kweneng East MP Maj. Gen. Moeng Pheto has assured Loologane and Sojwe residents that the recent realigning of constituency boundaries will not affect how they have been accessing services.

Addressing kgotla meetings recently, he said residents would continue to enjoy services from areas closest to them and would not be forced to go to Letlhakeng even though they would now be  part of Letlhakeng East constituency, which was re-named Letlhakeng-Lephepe.

The MP said the commission did not take into account the vastness of the constituency and the impact of the outcome on the livelihoods of affected people of the area known as Macha which comprised of Lephepe, Sojwe, Loologane, Shadishadi, Boatlaname now incorporated into Letlhakeng-Lephepe.

Mr Pheto explained that he had presented to the commission to have Kopong and Gakutlo incorporated with Mmopane as this had always been the wish of the people especially those in Kopong who felt that they had a cultural relationship with those of Mmopane.

He also pointed out that he had asked the presidential affairs minister, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi to find time to address them in order to explain the importance of the delimitation process and to assure them that the process was not done out of malice.

Earlier residents had expressed disappointment with the Delimitation Commission.

On other issues, residents complained about the drought situation in their area and pleaded with government to provide LACs to enable farmers to purchase livestock feed and medication at subsidised prices.

They said arable farmers had also been negatively impacted by the drought as their crops were destroyed by the heat. 

Farmers also complained about livestock which destroyed their crops, adding that livestock farmers were not cooperative when assessing fields destroyed by their animals.

They said this might also disadvantage them when they seek ISPAAD assistance as arable farmers because they might be viewed as people who did not look after their crops.  ENDS