Parliament passes Lobatse EDU motion request
Gothataone Moeng | Tuesday December 10, 2013 16:11
Member of Parliament (MP) for Lobatse, Nehemiah Modubule, brought the motion to the House, arguing that without such an intervention, the historically significant town of Lobatse would fade into a ghost town.
Modubule argued that because of Lobatse’s close proximity to such industrial centres as Gaborone and Jwaneng, Lobatse faces stiff competition for private investment necessary for stimulation of local economic development and creation of employment opportunities.
He said this is illustrated by the closure or relocation of major employers in the town, leading to a ‘stagnation’ of the local economy. In his response to the debate, Modubule reiterated that government has neglected the town, citing the absence of such institutions as Local Enterprise Authority and National Development Bank, for which residents of the town have to go to Kanye.
“We are very neglected, we need some attention from this House,” Modubule said. Minister of Trade and Industry Dorcas Makgato-Malesu and Assistant Minister Keletso Rakhudu were fervent in their opposition of the motion. Makgato-Malesu said that economic diversification is a national drive, and that it would be unsustainable to single out specific cities or towns.
She also argued that the economic situation in Lobatse is not as dire as Modubule painted it to be, especially with the setting up of a P250 million leather park and a dairy plant expected to create a sizeable number of jobs.
For his part, Rakhudu called the motion ‘redundant’, saying it was asking government to do what is already on the cards. Rakhudu argued that Selebi-Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU), which Modubule used to model his arguments for a Lobatse EDU, was no longer mandated to just revive the economy of Selebi-Phikwe and the region.
Rakhudu said SPEDU has been turned into a national company that does not just support the economic diversification drive of one town or region. MPs in support of the motion included Gilbert Mangole, who said that what was happening on the ground in Lobatse negated the ministers’ comments. Meanwhile, the absence of the ministers from the House continued to delay Parliament procedures. This session of the House has been interrupted by the absence of ministers who have, at times, been away to tend to constituency matters over the primary election period.
On Friday, MP for Gaborone Central Dumelang Saleshando registered his displeasure with the need for the house to overlook motions because the ministers responsible were not available.
He has for the last month been trying to present a motion asking government to prioritise the introduction of the tenant purchase scheme, but has failed because Lebonaamang Mokalake, the minister responsible for Lands and Housing, has been unavailable.
Speaker of the National Assembly Margaret Nasha said she was disappointed with the lack of respect shown to Ponatshego Kedikilwe, who is the leader of the House, by ministers who are absent without letting him know in advance where they will be. Fridays are private member days where MPs get to ask ministers questions and present their motions.