22 Sep 2019

Two prospective parliamentary candidates in the Tonota constituency who have both been MPs at different intervals have pledged to continue where they left off to bring developments to the area.

Outgoing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Mr Thapelo Olopeng and former MP Pono Moatlhodi, who was defeated in the 2014 elections made these promises during a political party debate at a fully-packed Tonota College of Education Hall on Saturday.

Kick starting the debate on why voters should send him back to Parliament, Mr Olopeng explained that he had many outstanding projects that he wanted to deliver to the people such as improved roads, street lights and shopping malls along the A1 highway, which had a huge economic potential for the constituency.

He noted that when he was elected, the country was still recovering from the after-effects of the economic recession, which meant that some projects could not be completed. He also noted that the street light project had been started, including internal roads.

On other issues, he said that if elected together with his BDP councillors, he would ensure that shopping centres were built in the village to create employment.

Currently, Mr Olopeng noted that two companies had been given land to start building the shopping malls.

“I have not achieved everything that I set out to do, therefore I plead with the electorate to give me another chance to go back to Parliament,” he added.

He also promised to prioritise projects that empowered locals, noting that he had already launched a cooperative to ensure that the initiaive succeeded.

 He also promised that his party would develop the arts to ensure that they become an empowerment tool for the youth.

The BDP government, he explained, had already sent students for training to enable them to be ready for a high income knowledge based economy.

 In addition, he said students were being re-tooled to be able to survive the 4th industrial revolution.

In addition, he said his party was working on improving the ease of doing business.

For his part, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) representative, Mr Moatlhodi said that ever since he lost the elections he had never ceased to represent the people of Tonota in any capacity despite not being in Parliament.

He highlighted that people and institutions still relied on him whenever they were challenges in the constituency that needed resolution.

 He mentioned that if elected back to Parliament he would work hard to ensure that the long promised Tonota hospital would be delivered.

 In 2014, he highlighted that the hospital was only awaiting funding, but noted that the past immediate MP had failed to advocate for the hospital to be prioritised.

While he was still MP, he said that he advocated for the rural area dwellers programme, which went a long way in empowering people in deprived areas and capacitated Kgotlas in the constituency.

He also mentioned that he motivated schools to improve their performance during examinations by encouraging the spirit of competition.

This, he noted, improved performances in both primary, junior and senior secondary schools.

He also urged people to vote for him as he had worked hard to establish a special unit at Tonota Primary School with the assistance of Botswana Development Corporation.

He also explained that he advocated for the allocation of a plot for the Botswana Housing Corporation to build houses for civil servants.

 If elected into office, Mr Moatlhodi said that UDC would increase accommodation for public officers, improve teacher-student ratio in schools and initiate a construction boom to create 100 000 jobs and reduce unemployment for the youth.

 He also promised to follow up on the Tonota-Mandunyane road, which had been outstanding for years.

The UDC, he said, intended to service land in Tonota so that young people could open their businesses.

He promised that if voted into office the UDC would regularise the cooperative to ensure that it complied with the law.

He also mentioned that land allocation in Tonota constituency was a thorny issue that his party would address by engaging field owners to sell farms that were near the village.

Currently, he highlighted that the ruling party lacked political will to resolve the land crisis as evidenced by 110 000 people who were on the waiting list.

 Mr Moatlhodi also said that under the UDC government, big companies and corporations would be encouraged to pay a living wage of P3 000.

 He pleaded with voters in the constituency to vote for his party, explaining that they made a mistake by removing him from office in 2014.

 Tonota constituency has been under the ruling BDP since independence. Ends