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Bojanala Ward councilor, Luke Motlaleselelo has urged government to amend the current settlement policy for it to be in alignment with President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s reset agenda.
The Reset Agenda envisions a Botswana that is effective with proper working infrastructure and systems, with a citizenry that has globally competitive skills, and is attractive to international investors and experts.
In an interview, Motlaleselelo explained that for the agenda to materialise there is need for transformation within government processes and structures to keep up with demands of modern times and Botswana’s population.
This however he lamented it is not the case as settlements remain ungazetted, which then makes it difficult for communities in those areas to get modern day developments.
Motlaleselelo is of the view that if government is still stuck with old policies that deprive citizens their basic needs such as health and education, then the president’s reset agenda has no chance to succeed.
“I find it unfair that Bojanala Ward has been ignored in the reset agenda, unless the agenda was tailored for people in particular areas forgetting about those in rural and ungazetted settlements,” Motlaleselelo said.
The outspoken councilor emphasised that if gazetting his wards which include among them Ditshiping, Xhaxhaba and Daunara was impossible, then government should amend the settlement policy in a way that will be able to provide basic needs such as education, clean drinking water and health services in those areas.
“Countries such as Namibia which also has ungazetted settlements are providing basic needs wherever there is a human settlement across the country regardless of the population of people in that particular area,” Motlaleselelo highlighted.
He mentioned that people in his ward have interests in government’s development initiatives for self-reliance but they are unable to acquire such as most of them need one to have ownership of a land. He further noted that residents of Ditshiping paved way for Moremi Game Reserve, a move which he said they knew would benefit the country’s economy and would in return will better their livelihoods, but years down the line, that is still not the case.
“Some residents in these areas have hope in the ruling party but it keeps disappointing them, they only show up looking for their votes from there they desert them and come again towards general election for another re-election,” the councilor expressed disappointed as well.
