21 Feb 2025

Despite being ranked as one of the country’s most populous villages, Molepolole is lagging behind in developments.

In his contribution to the Budget Speech debate recently, Molepolole North Member of Parliament, Mr Arafat Khan said with a population of around 75 000 people, Molepolole had one main road which was the busiest because of the traffic it carried.

Reflecting back, he said the then Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Kitso Mokaila told residents during a kgotla meeting in 2018 that government would implement a Molepolole bypass road, which to date had not been constructed.

He said  it was about time government gave timeliness for the construction of the new bypass road. Mr Khan said other amenities such as schools, health infrastructure, roads and water distribution infrastructure needed to be attended to.
He said Molepolole lacked a properly equipped police station, befitting an area of Molepolole’s magnitude.

Mr Khan said there was a need for a dual carriageway road from Metsimotlhabe to Molepolole to reduce congestion on the A12 road.

He added that 66 classrooms needed to be constructed in Molepolole North schools as pupils were attending class under trees.

Meanwhile, Tati East MP Mr Tlhabologo Furniture said the budget fell short of addressing the needs of Batswana in general and his constituents in particular. He said unemployment, which stood at 27.6 per cent mostly affected youth, graduates, adding that poverty and hunger had reached high levels.

Tati East was besieged by poor infrastructure, with the condition of roads in an unsatisfactory state, Mr Furniture said. He said although gravel roads were continuously graded, they often, deteriorated after a short period.

Mr Furniture thus said there was a need for the construction of tarred roads and storm water drainage systems including the Tonota-Ditladi-Patayamatebele road which he said should be prioritised. He said such a road could also assist in boosting commercial farming through improved access to markets, since the area had farmers engaged in horticultural produce.

Additionally, Mr Furniture told the august assembly that there was a need to expand Matsiloje Junior Secondary School to accommodate the number of learners enrolled.

He further said the North East District continued to experience human-wildlife conflict fuelled by the increase in the elephant population, and elephant migration from Zimbabwe, which involved destruction of the border fence.
He said increased animal herd destroyed crops in  farming fields, and called on the state to assist. ENDS