Relief as water returns to Deaf Centre

Gothataone Moeng | Friday June 13, 2014 16:00

Botswana Society for the Deaf (BSD) public relations officer, Oreneile Matsetse yesterday confirmed to Mmegi that the water was re-connected but declined to comment on whether the bill had been paid. BSD runs the Ramotswa and Francistown Centres for Deaf Education.

“I can confirm that water has been re-connected. Everything is fine. It was reconnected last week Thursday,” she said.

Deaf students at the institution had to miss days off school when their arrival from school vacation was met with dry taps following the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC)’s disconnection of the institution for non-payment of arrears.

Last week BSD Executive Director Orapeleng Mokgosi told Mmegi that the arrears added up after the South East District Council stopped paying the institution’s water bills.

The BSD has been running their two institutions with a subvention from the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD)’s Department of Special Support Services. However, this year the ministry decided to take the money directly to the institutions, instead of having it go through the BSD.

This follows an audit into the institution’s books by the Ministries of Education and Skills Development (MoH) and Health (MoH), the findings of which alleged gross maladministration at the school.

In a letter to the BSD, Director of the MoESD’s Department of Special Support Services had demanded a response to the allegations, on the strength of which the ministry would approve or disapprove funds to the BSD. The MoESD spokesperson Silas Sehularo told Mmegi that while the ministry has received the BSD response, it is still studying it and consulting on the way forward.

“In the meantime, the ministry has allocated funds to BSD, to allow the school to function,” Sehularo said recently.

The BSD was also recently embroiled in a labour scuffle with its support staff who boycotted work for over three weeks in protest of non-payment of their salaries.