14 Aug 2013

Civil servants have been urged to go beyond their core mandate and help improve the lives of the communities that they work with.

Giving welcome remarks at a ceremony to hand over a pit latrine to Mr Lejwe Nxhaijen, a disabled resident of Kaudwane on  August 8, Kgosi Tsholo Segwaba of Kaudwane said this could help the community appreciate the civil servants beyond their core office duties.

“Police officers should not be seen as just people who arrest criminals, and wildlife officers should not just be seen to be protecting the wildlife,” he said.

Kgosi Segwaba said he appreciated the work done by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks employees based at Khutse Game Reserve, saying it gave hope that the nation would attain the national Vision 2016 through such small efforts.

“Hopefully other civil servants will take leaf from the employees of this department and assist in other ways in the village,” he said.

Giving the overview of the project, the Principal Wildlife Officer, Ms Oganeditse Dintwa, said it was not the first time that they assisted Mr Nxhaijen. In the past, they bought him groceries.

She said this time the employees decided to build a pit latrine for Mr Nxhaijen to improve his personal dignity. 

She said the wildlife officers realized the project with the help of Bigfoot Tours, a safari company that operates in the game reserve, and Sekaka, a mineral prospecting company. 

Other civil servants in Kaudwane also contributed towards the project. 

Ms Dintwa however urged other Good Samaritans to consider buying a wheelchair for Mr Nxhaijen as the current one was old and malfunctioning.

Ms Kgalalelo Brooks, the acting assistant council secretary for the Letlhakeng Sub-District, told Kaudwane residents that pit latrines were a necessity and so they should learn how to build them in their homes. She added that pit latrines improved hygiene.

Ms Brooks advised the residents that they could use wood and grass to build themselves pit latrines. 

She thanked all individuals and companies that came together to build a pit latrine for Mr Nxhaijen. ENDS