20 Aug 2019

The four Molepolole North prospective candidates delivered their promises before electorates on August 18 at Kgari Sechele Senior Secondary School during the Radio Botswana parliamentary candidates’ debate.

The seat will be competed for by candidates from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Alliance for Progressives (AP), Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) as well as an independent candidate.

Mr Oarabile Regoeng of BDP, a business man who boasts of a wealth of experience in the parastatal sector and an academic record in Finance and Marketing said if elected he would ensure that the water crisis in Molepolole becomes a thing of the past.

He said the severe water scarcity in the village was not deliberate. He said the Malwelwe and Gaotlhobogwe well fields supplied Molepolole, Thamaga and Thebephatshwa airbase, therefore the demand surpassed supply. The situation he said was worsened by the fact that some of the boreholes had dried up.

Mr Regoeng further stated that would ensure that water tanks would be distributed in areas that were most affected in the constituency such as Garanta and Boswelakoko.

He however said the North South Carrier 2 pipeline would starting supplying Thamaga to augment  water supply in Molepolole once Thamaga village start drinking from the NSC pipeline.

On other issues, he concurred with Molepolole residents on the status of roads.

He said basic infrastructure should be of priority and all major roads be expanded and opined that the Molepolole bypass road needed capable representatives to ensure that the project becomes a reality.

AP MP prospective Candidate Mr Twoba Koontse , a former diplomat and teacher, differed with other candidates saying in order to deliver a new government, the AP believed in a new Botswana whose vision is anchored on solid values such as uprightness,honesty and intergrity, which are important for a transparent and clean nation.

This, he said would be achieved by a total overhaul of the national constitution to first and foremost achieve a true separation of powers between executive, Judiciary and legislature.

He said these three arms of government need to be independent. He said strong institutions were needed in order to hold the executive to account.

He said that South Africa had set an example because currently there was an ongoing case where the Public Protector has demonstrated that her office was not afraid to hold the president to account.

He also pointed out that AP believed all executive positions of public enterprises for instance those who head these organizations should be appointed by Parliament and not be appointed by the president as is the case now.

Mr Koontse also touched on the issue of land security saying all land issues be it commercial plots or business plots were a challenge because of maladministration arguing that it took long  for residents to acquire residential plots.

 At the moment he said the land board was handling applications between 2005 and 2006. He noted that basic infrastructure was also a topical issue in the constituency. He said roads are in a terrible state. Koontse stressed that transforming the economy is not going to be possible without a comprehensive major infrastructure investment. He said infrastructure is key to an exclusive economy.

He indicated once in power, the AP would reconfigure the public transport systems to manage congestions and build roads to inter link villages.

On tourism he said AP aimed at diversifying tourism through citizen participation to maximize value from tourism.

They also aim to expand the tourism hub in the Okavango-Chobe –Makgadikgadi triangle and other game reserves such as Khutse game reserve in Kweneng about which little unknown in comparison to the famous ones.

He stressed that his party would  develop other forms of tourism such as man-made tourist attractions citing Legaga la ga Kobokwe and build exhibitions centres as well as recreational facilities in cultural heritage sites such as Dithubaruba site.

Representing UDC, Mr Mahommed Khan who is the incumbent MP said he was a member of the BDP in the 90s. He said he was forced to join opposition politics after the ruling party failed to bring basic developments to his community.

Mr Khan said if things were done properly, developments would go to where people were and explained that  with Molepolole being the largest village after Gaborone and Francistown, the village still lagged behind in basic infrastructure and other necessary developments such as roads, police station and sewerage infrastructure among others.

He said the UDC had realised that unemployment was skyrocketing hence they would create 100 000 jobs in 12 months according to their manifesto.

He said informal sector employees were underpaid as compared to their counter parts in other countries citing South Africa as an example.

MP khan said he had tried to advocate for his constituency while at Parliament but government had failed to commit to address issues of concern in his constituency such as shortage of water and others.

He said instead government has diverted  funds that were supposed to carry out these major projects in Molepolole.

He said the current situation in Botswana was appalling stressing that countries that attained independence after Botswana were far much better.

Independent candidate Mr Nonofo Mosung who is a former Kgari Sechele student and an unemployed youth said he represented the many unemployed youth roaming the streets.

He said  voting for him would be voting for the voice of the voiceless which is the youth.

He said time had come to have a youth representative in Parliament to advocate for all issues concerning them. He also cited that Bakwena as the most senior tribe had no place in the history books of this country.

This, he said was evidenced by the fact that Kgosi Sechele I has not received recognition he deserved despite his remarkable contribution in the  country’s history.

 All these,  he said if voted to Parliament he would ensure were addressed. ENDS