28 Jul 2024

All civilian government employees under the Botswana Police Service (BPS) are issued with protective clothing to assist them in performing their duty, thus, the Ministry of Defence and Security is not aware of any herdboys employed by the BPS to herd the livestock exhibits who have not been issued with protective clothing.

Responding to a question in Parliament on Friday on behalf of the Minister of Defence and Security, the Minister for State President, Mr Kabo Morwaeng, said the ministry would continue providing protective clothing to those employees.

Member of Parliament for Selebi Phikwe East, Mr Kgoberego Nkawana had asked the minister  if he was aware that herdboys employed by the BPS to look after livestock did not have work related protective clothing.

Mr Nkawana therefore wanted to know reasons behind failure to provide such, and when government would consider providing such protective gear.

Still in Parliament, the Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi said plans were underway to match expiry dates of farmer’s keeper identity cards with that of the cattle brand certificates.

Mr Molebatsi said his ministry also planned to propose a Bill amending the Branding of Cattle Act and Disease of Animals Regulations in order to facilitate the merge of the expiry dates of farmer’s keeper identity cards with the cattle brand certificate.

Serowe West legislator, Mr Onalepelo Kedikilwe had asked  if there were any plans by the ministry to match expiry dates of farmers keeper identity cards with that of the cattle brand certificate.

Meanwhile the Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti has told Parliament that his ministry was aware of the need  for maintenance at Serowe clinics.

“My ministry through the Serowe DHMT and VDCs is currently creating a database of locally based companies to engage them on maintenance of the Serowe district health facilities. Moreover, the clinics have been prioritised in order of level of damage so that critical ones are attended to first,” he said.

Dr Dikoloti said plans were that clinics in Serowe be maintained in the next financial year, adding  that currently, they were being kept in an operational status through minor and reactive maintenance, which was done as and when required to ensure that service delivery was not interrupted.

Dr Dikoloti was responding to Serowe North MP, Mr Baratiwa Mathoothe who had wanted to know when the ministry intended to maintain Serowe clinics. Ends