04 Dec 2024

Former minister of defence and security, who is also Gabane-Mmankgodi legislator, Mr Kagiso Mmusi says while at the helm of the ministry he did everything by the book and would be happy to be audited to dispel any suspicions of wrong doing. 

Contributing to the SONA debate on Tuesday, Mr Mmusi indicated that should there be a need to audit activities of ministers in the past administration, he was more than willing to raise his hand and be the first to be audited. 

“Whether tenders or promotions, I never did anybody a favour,” he said.

Mr Mmusi said that despite being under fire, the Development Model (DM), introduced by the last administration was meant to address rife challenges in development projects, such as late completion which resulted in cost overruns.

"We have projects that have taken too long to complete such as Maitengwe Police Station and the police forensic lab, whose remedy was the DM,” said Mr Mmusi.

Concerning his constituency, Mr Mmusi called for upgrading of Lesirane Clinic in Gabane, which he said also catered for nearby areas such as Tsolamosese.

He also requested government to expedite the process of nominated councillors because it had stalled council business.

“We have projects that have to be implemented by the local government and until councils sit, they will keep pending,” he said.

Mr Mmusi also urged government to settle the pending issue of ploughing fields that were repossessed by the Kweneng Land Board in Gabane under the land for plots compensation deal. Tonota legislator, Mr Gaefele Sedombo complained about poor internal roads in Tonota, which stifled small businesses like the taxi industry. 

“Such small businesses are useful as they help relief government financially because they keep people away from destitution,” he said and enquired about Tonota hospital, which was long promised during the tenure of former Minister of Health, Ms Joy Phumaphi.

He said the hospital was urgent because it would also relief the Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital.

Mr Sedombo also called for the resuscitation of a dairy course at Tonota College of Education, arguing that it would help put to use the now idling equipment and vast, unutilised land. He also said that Foley residents who resided on the flood path of Motloutse River were not compensated after being relocated. 

“This has left them in poverty since they used their last Thebe to resettle,” he said. 

Meanwhile in his contributions, Selebi Phikwe West legislator, Mr Reuben Kaizer called on government to halt the sale of Bamangwato Concession Limited (BCL) houses on the open market but instead, give priority to ex-employees of the mine.

“Government could even consider using Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) scheme to help them buy these houses,” he said. 

Mr Kaizer also requested government to turn the old mining shafts into a museum, a move he said would help resuscitate other sectors in town like the hospitality industry. He also hailed schools in Selebi Phikwe for consistently performing well over the years. Ends