The acute water shortage bedevilling Molepolole depicts dire crisis such that the newly elected Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government would have to grapple with.
Under the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)-led government, the Gamononyane-Molepolole North South Carrier (NSC) was meant to alleviate water crisis in the village and surrounding areas but still today the village is still under a dry spell. Now ,after years of grappling with water shortage, the people of Molepolole expect the new government to move fast in addressing the water situation, which may be taken as one of the deciding factors of how the people will continue believing the newly elected government. Historically, Molepolole has been prone to shortage of water for years on end but not as bad as the last five years that saw the villagers and surrounding areas grappling with dry taps for many days on end without any solutions. As the water woes continue to challenge people’s access to the quality water needed for drinking and many household chores, it would be in the best interest of the new government to move swiftly to look for permanent solutions.
On October 30, Bakwena went into the polls frustrated at BDP’s failure to address the water crisis in one of the biggest villages in the country and many were looking at changing their village’s fate. Many factors may have played a role on how the people voted but the water shortage remained top of the agenda. “We have experienced dry taps in Molepolole for over 10 years and we are continuing to suffer despite millions spent on the Gamononyane-Molepolole NSC. At the beginning of the year we were promised overflow of water and to this day there has not been any change,” one elderly voter said.
Bakwena in their suffering believed that poor governance, corruption and looting exacerbated the water crisis in their village and that is how they took charge of the situation by removing the ruling party hoping that whoever they bring into government will hear their cries. UDC the messiah
The current ruling party, the UDC, had in its manifesto promised Batswana to improve their lives and in Molepolole, its candidates at the time, Shima Monageng and Arafat Khan for South and North constituencies respectively sold themselves to Bakwena as their messiahs especially in addressing the water crisis. At the time of campaigning as opposition, they had presented the party as the messiah that would take the people to the land of paradise and this for the villagers of Molepolole was good enough to earn the party two MP seats and 17 ward councillors. This was a testament that Bakwena were hungry for change and they had wanted to at least test the waters with new representatives rather than complaining to the same people who seemed to have not heard their constant cries to fix the water crisis. For the two MPs and the councillors, it is now and never as this is the ultimate test for them as to how they will tackle the crisis and give the people hope. Following his win, Monageng said he has interest to see Molepolole transform development wise, that he wants to see the youth getting employed, see the health sector improve and most importantly end water shortage in the village, among other things. He said the water situation in Molepolole has been an ongoing challenge for Bakwena and that they will have to move fast to arrest the situation before the residents also feel they are not doing enough.
“I have interest to see Molepolole transform and the water shortage being a thing of the past. This is a test for us and we have to hit the ground running in seeing what has been the issue and how we can address the situation,” he said. The MP explained that he wants to represent the village in the most honest way to advance the interest of the people rather than seeking self fulfilment, that is why he would forge a strong relation with the councillors to see how best they can work together. He assured the voters that he will be hands on as they are the ones who made it possible for him to become the MP and represent their interests.
"When you are an MP, you are elected by the people therefore you have to be near them, get to know their issues and try to bring solutions. You cannot disappear then reappear after five years to seek another term," Monageng said. For Khan he has been constantly spoken about the water crisis with the residents and how he felt the government was not moving quick enough to address the situation. “Molepolole has water challenges and we have to bring the right energy to provide solutions to the water challenge. We have been recognised, for all practical purposes, as one of the fastest growing places in the country, but still residents of Molepolole still have no access to potable water and there are daily water rations, we will to fix the situation,” he said.
The question is, will the government win the ultimate test to quench Bakwena’s thirst because the BDP failed for many years despite the commissioning of infrastructure projects ranging from water and sanitation, distribution networks as well as the Gamononyane-Molepolole NSC. The Gamononyane-Molepolole NSC project was supposed to be in three parts, which included the remedial works and so far the project was said to be complete but this has not alleviated the situation in the village. This is a test for the UDC that will serve as a make or break test and time will tell as the people wait in anticipation.