Concern over reliance on SA, Botswana mobile networks

BEITBRIDGE West MP Metrine Mudau has expressed concern over the reliance on mobile service providers from South Africa and Botswana by most people in the district due to failure to upgrade local communication facilities in the area.

Mudau appealed for mobile telephone operators to put more base stations in the district saying the state of affairs was hampering development and the monitoring of key government projects.

"You will realise that most projects are hampered by the lack of communication facilities and in some cases people in the most remote parts of the district have to rely on police radios or foreign mobile service providers" she said.

"People are facing a lot of challenges especially in cases of emergencies. We used to have some fixed telephones at most business centres in the district but these were vandalised by copper cable thieves".

She said the worst affected areas were those in the most remote areas like Limpopo, Jalukanga, Shashe, Swereki and Malibeng.

Mudau said they were failing to keep trek of progress on some of the community development projects owing to the poor road network and communication facilities.

"We're calling on mobile telephone operators including Netone, Telecel, Econet and Africom to put up base stations in our district. Definitely we can't be happy when our people are relying on foreign mobile networks while we have local players who can do that at a lower cost" she said.

Mudau also called for the speedy upgrading of the major link roads which she said were in a bad state after they were extensively damaged by previous heavy rains.

"The community and the government have been failing to repair most of the damaged roads due to the unavailability of resources owing to the current economic climate" she said.

She said the worst affected roads were those in Swereki, Malibeng, Matshutshutha and Masera.