18 Aug 2019

 The prospective parliamentary candidates for Letlhakeng/Lephepe have vowed to develop their constituency by improving road infrastructure, creating employment, availing potable water and improving agricultural programmes.

They made the commitment during the Radio Botswana parliamentary candidates debates in Letlhakeng on August 16.

The constituency will see five candidates vying for the parliamentary seat in the October general election. The candidates are  Mr Liakat Kablay of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Mr Ontathile Selatho of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), Mr Alfred Molapo for Botswana Patriotic Front, (BPF) Mr Phenyo Dinake of Alliance for Progressives (AP) and an independent candidate Mr Agisanyang Ramotswai.

The debates were kick-started by Mr Selatho, who said the challenges in the constituency left many in abject poverty.

He argued that roads were in a bad state despite the ruling party having led the constituency for a long time.

Concerning the health sector, Mr Selatho said lack of clinics in many villages was worrisome since many people were forced to travel long distances to get medical assistance. He said his party would afford the electorate access to healthcare.

He said UDC would ensure the inclusion of the indigenous knowledge in the health sector as other countries like China had successfully implemented such. Regarding education, Mr Selatho said students academic performance continued to decline, arguing that it was due to high student-teacher ratio.

He said that if the Kedikilwe Commission of 1994 on Education recommendations were implemented, Botswana would see a better performance in education, but the case is sad as teachers’ grapple with large classes.
Representing AP, Mr Phenyo Dinake, a teacher by profession said his party was ready to transform the economy of the country and build a corruption free Botswana.

He said transparency and accountability in the country continued to be a challenge among its leaders and at the AP they believed that those who engage in corruption should face the wrath of the law.

Mr Dinake said since independence the country had not had any constitutional review and the time has come that such a review be carried out.

He said the constituency was characterised by many challenges that needed a new breed of leaders who could assist many people to move from the below poverty datum line.

He also said there were opportunities in the area that could be harnessed to create industries that could employ many youths.

Mr Dinake said many educational facilities in the constituency lacked a conducive learning environment, which deters students from revealing their full potential.

The independent candidate, Mr Agisanyang Ramotswai,  said among the many ideas that he had for the constituency, he would like to be a voice for the voiceless employees of different companies that made  profit, but paid little to their employees.

He said the ruling party was only interested in foreign direct investment, forgeting the employees who were employed by foreign companies in Botswana.

Mr Ramotswai also said Letlhakeng-Lephephe Constituency had a great potential of mines as it has a coal bed that could be used to start mining coal.

He added that should he be elected to Parliament, he would fight for the establishment of an agricultural bank so that farmers run their farms with ease.

Mr Molapo of the BPF said his party would focus on the up-skilling and empowering of individuals so that they could graduate from poverty.

He said they would also utilise the water bed for agriculture and put to use many hectares which lie idle through collaboration with VDCs, which could start projects that earned them money while at the same time create employment.
Mr Molapo said since there was enough ground water, horticulture could do well in this area and generate money, which could  be used for development.

The Botswana Democratic Party’sBDP representative and also current MP for Letlhakeng/Lephephe, Mr Liakat Kablay said his party had brought development to this constituency.

He said the envisaged primary hospital and bus rank were awaiting funding, but they would be built as promised.

Mr Kablay said the water purification project in the area had been started at Sojwe with many other developments to be carried out throughout the constituency.

He added that roads in the area had been improved while those with gravel were graded at a cost of P5 million per year.

He said since the BDP government had made many programmes geared at improving the lives of Batswana, voting him would assure the constituents of continued support from government and developments. ENDS