Self-reliance is key for Nswazwi VDC
Patricia Edwin | Friday May 16, 2014 17:25
Nthaba told Mmegi that from time immemorial their VDC has always not waited on government to bring up developments in Nswazwi. Now with all this talk of recession and suspended projects, they have taken the initiative to start the developments, which the government would then take over.
He said that they have never, even the previous committees, been a VDC that waits upon the government.
“We have always had a tradition of taking the initiative and the government can later come and assist us. As long as I can remember the residents of Nswazwi have always taken steps to develop their own village,” he said.
Nthaba said that there are several things that they are doing as a way of developing the village and creating income for the community.
“Even when we took over from previous committees, we found a village that was ready to tackle its own issues of development and later get assistance from the government. We do not sit and cry foul because the government has no money,” he said.
He said that they were a VDC that worked together with the tribal authority to get the village developed.
“We have always been self-reliant even from the olden times when the people who were here started to make bricks in order to build a primary school.
“The primary school that was relocated here was from where we call Ku Dongo (at the ruins), was constructed by the people of Nswazwi,” he said.
He said that they also started to construct their own Community Brigade in 1960. The brigade is one of the most successful and one of the first few to offer the drafting course.
“Academically the brigade is doing very well,” he said without elaborating. He said that the Nswazwi VDC has plots that they have bought in order to develop the village. “We never hesitate even in the times of recession,” he said.
He said that they have projects lined up such as wiring VDC houses.
“We have houses that are for rent in the village and we have now taken a step to wire the houses and day care centre in order to electrify them,” he said.
He said that the VDC also has offices that some officers are operating from. He said that at the moment they were working towards constructing houses for the needy in the village that they are yet to identify.
Nthaba said that as the VDC they have constructed a postal agency, which has 100 boxes and is operated in conjunction with the Botswana Post.
“We came up with the idea and constructed it and we were later brought also Nteletsa II. The postal agency is now more than 10 years and we have two employees,” he said. Nthaba said they were now planning to develop the place where there was the old Nswazwi village.
“The first school was built by the community with the help of businessmen George Haskins. Now the VDC has met because we want to turn that place into a cultural village and we have already consulted the Land Board and we are in the process of achieving what we set out to do,” he said.