24 Sep 2019

Four Parliamentary candidates locked horns yesterday in a debate that saw four political parties, Alliance for Progressives (AP), Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Umbrella for Democratic Front (UDC) and Botswana Patriotic front (BPF) battling for Mmadinare constituency.

Two issues of shortage of water and poor medical services dominated the radio debate held at Mmadinare Senior Secondary School on September 23.

Asked why voters should vote for her, Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) prospective parliamentary candidate Ms Felicity Keleeme said Mmadinare often experienced shortage of water even though there were two big dams in the area that could supply villages in the constituency.

She said it was disappointing that Mmadinare, which was close to the country’s biggest dams Dikgathong and Letsibogo was not getting any water supply from the two dams, yet the dams supplied villages in the greater Gaborone.

Ms Keleeme said if voted into power, BPF would ensure that Mmadinare constituency was connected to the North-South Carrier (NSC) pipeline.

She also raised a concern over poor medical services in the constituency, saying that she was going to ensure that doctors took services to the people.

Ms Keleeme said doctors were the ones who should make plans to visit their patients in their respective villages instead of having patients travelling long distances to get medical treatment at Mmadinare Primary Hospital.

These sentiments were also shared by UDC prospective parliamentary candidate Mr Mokwaledi Bagwasi, who concurred that the constituency needed better medical services.

He said if he wins the parliamentary seat under the UDC ticket, he was going to advocate for the second hospital in the constituency.

Mr Bagwasi said Mmadinare primary hospital serviced a lot of patients from various villages, thus causing congestion and poor turn-around times.

Because of this state, he said patients in areas such as Tamasane and Mogapinyana ended up travelling to Palapye for medical treatment, adding that the state of Palapye Primary Hospital on the other hand was also a cause for concern.

The ruling BDP parliamentary hopeful Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi acknowledged challenges faced by Mmadinare constituents and was committed to delivering quality health services to Batswana.

He said his party was working round the clock to decongest Mmadinare hospital, thus would upgrade the hospital, a project that had already been included in the National Development Plan 11.

Mr Molebatsi said this would help patients to get better medical care and would address challenges such as shortage of healthcare workers and drugs.

Regarding Letsibogo and Dikgathong dams, Mr Molebatsi said there was need to look beyond water supply and explore other avenues that could improve the rural economy of Mmadinare constituency.

Mr Molebatsi said his party puts more emphasis on the need to diversify the tourism sector, hence the dams offered tourism opportunities that could help transform the lives of Mmadinare residents for the better.

He said the area was also blessed with hills and big rivers that could be of benefit to the tourism sector.

Mr Molebatsi also added that resources such as mines and dams should benefit all Batswana, thus it was fitting for the two dams to also supply areas outside Mmadinare constituency.

To address water shortage in Mmadinare, he said the government, through Water Utilities Corporation, would have another pipeline connecting the village to the dam.

For his part, Alliance for Progressives parliamentary candidate Mr Motshereganyi Madingwane said people in Damochojenaa were suffering because of dire shortage of water in the village.

He said it was high time Damochojenaa was connected to the NSC pipeline.

Mr Madingwane also added that the two dams in the constituency should also help support the agriculture sector, especially horticulture.

He said this would help create employment for the people of Mmadinare constituency and at the same time ensure food security.

Mr Madingwane also added that if voted into power, he would advocate for fishery projects at the two dams, which would also create employment in the constituency. ENDS