23 Apr 2025

Member of Parliament for Goodhope/Mmathethe, Dr Edwin Dikoloti has vowed to expedite the renovation of  Montshiwa Junior Secondary School hostels to ensure their utilisation.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Pitsane on Tuesday, the MP promised residents that he would make it a point that before long, the hostels served their intended purpose.

This came after residents complained that some learners walked long distances from neighbouring village such as Rakhuna, Ngwatsau and Bethele to attend school while the hostels were lying idle since their construction.

They said students faced untold challenges along the way as they were forced to leave their homesteads early and come back late in the evening after walking long distances.

“These are some of the reasons why learners end up not doing well academically because they are forced to endure bad weather conditions such as rain and bad winter season,” said the village development committee vice chair, Ms Serurubele Tebogo.

She said  some ended up absconding from school as parents could not afford transport fares. 

Ms Tebogo also said the school was in a dilapidated state as the teacher’s quarters, classrooms and perimetre fence needed maintenance.

Dr Dikoloti, who is also Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture concurred with them that in the era where the country was grappling with high numbers of missing persons and gender-based violence, it was only fitting that they attended to the hostels to protect learners  especially the girl-child.

He urged parents to instil discipline on their children as they were the  ones vandalising their classrooms.

On other issues, the area MP urged the district authorities to consider having a police post in Pitsane, saying the village deserved one because of its  population size.

He also said with the rife stock theft happening in the area, the police post would  come in handy. ENDS