Slow development in northeast Botswana
Botswana: Masunga Behind Tati Siding
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
If the North East District was a living creature, it would have a grotesque figure with a bloated body and emaciated head. Because of this, Kgosi Masunga Maruje III is a worried man. It is almost a year and a half since the youthful 27 year-old chief, a public relations degree holder, ascended to the throne amid pomp and ceremony. But after the enthronement, it was time for knuckling down to the nitty-gritty of overseeing the development of Masunga. However, the slow pace of infrastructure development frustrates the youthful chief who dubs it "stagnant" ... Tati Siding has infrastructure like streetlights and new roads compared to Masunga, despite the latter being the headquarters of the district ... this state of affairs resulted in a delegation from Masunga presenting the village grievances to the Minister of Local Government, Margaret Nasha and her permanent secretary in February this year.Meanwhile, Kgosi Maruje III continues to kick his heels in frustration ... Kgosi Masunga III says the stagnant development has resulted in Masunga losing most of its active members of the community to other villages and urban areas." We have lost the youth, and most professionals shun Masunga because of the inadequate infrastructure development. If the village can improve in terms of development, our people would come back to build their homes here so that the village can grow," ... The influx of illegal immigrants from the neighbouring state accompanied with criminal elements is one of the issues he considers a major negative factor that stagnates Masunga. This, he says poses a serious security problem resulting in people who work in the village feeling unsafe. "We end up not retaining quality workforce because they choose to relocate to other places where they will feel a little bit safer".Land is one of the most delicate issues around the world especially in Africa to the extent of resulting in bloodshed conflicts. North East district is the worst in the country when it comes to availability of land both for farming and grazing. Tati Concessions Company owns the majority of the land available ...
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
If the North East District was a living creature, it would have a grotesque figure with a bloated body and emaciated head. Because of this, Kgosi Masunga Maruje III is a worried man. It is almost a year and a half since the youthful 27 year-old chief, a public relations degree holder, ascended to the throne amid pomp and ceremony. But after the enthronement, it was time for knuckling down to the nitty-gritty of overseeing the development of Masunga. However, the slow pace of infrastructure development frustrates the youthful chief who dubs it "stagnant" ... Tati Siding has infrastructure like streetlights and new roads compared to Masunga, despite the latter being the headquarters of the district ... this state of affairs resulted in a delegation from Masunga presenting the village grievances to the Minister of Local Government, Margaret Nasha and her permanent secretary in February this year.Meanwhile, Kgosi Maruje III continues to kick his heels in frustration ... Kgosi Masunga III says the stagnant development has resulted in Masunga losing most of its active members of the community to other villages and urban areas." We have lost the youth, and most professionals shun Masunga because of the inadequate infrastructure development. If the village can improve in terms of development, our people would come back to build their homes here so that the village can grow," ... The influx of illegal immigrants from the neighbouring state accompanied with criminal elements is one of the issues he considers a major negative factor that stagnates Masunga. This, he says poses a serious security problem resulting in people who work in the village feeling unsafe. "We end up not retaining quality workforce because they choose to relocate to other places where they will feel a little bit safer".Land is one of the most delicate issues around the world especially in Africa to the extent of resulting in bloodshed conflicts. North East district is the worst in the country when it comes to availability of land both for farming and grazing. Tati Concessions Company owns the majority of the land available ...