Picture: ANC members during Letsema Cleaning Campaign in Kgomotso village/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
It is all systems go for most churches across the country to host some successful Easter prayers. Ward 20 councillor, Itumeleng Maribe said they have embarked on the Letsema Cleaning Campaign.
Maribe said they saw it prudent to take this initiative to various churches ahead of Easter weekend.
“We embarked on this initiative to clean various churches across our area. This will assist the congregants and pastors to host their Easter prayer sermons in a tidy environment. So, we urge them to continue where we left off by keeping their environment clean at all times.
“This initiative was established a few years ago and as the ruling party, it is essential to work hand-in-hand with members of the religious fraternity. They form an integral part of our society as they assist in tackling socio-economic challenges affecting our people,” he said.
Maribe further said, nation building and achieving social cohesion are some of the most important responsibilities of the ruling party. He added that, this initiative is evidence to re-affirm and recommit to the moral vision and the value system of the society.
AME reverend, Boitumelo Mokoto shared the same sentiments. Mokoto said, it is imperative to work together in the quest of promoting these values among people.
“We are very grateful as the church to have ANC members assisting by cleaning our yard. We will continue to keep our environment clean and we need to continue to work together to ensure that we forge ahead in having a structured society,” he said.
Meanwhile, the North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Sello Lehari, requested all road users to buckle up during the Easter holidays. Lehari said he has ordered traffic law enforcement to strictly apply regulations to reduce road fatalities.
“We have activated the North West Easter Traffic Plans at the Alpha Crossing in Brits. The province came fourth with the lowest number of fatalities in the country during the festive period.
“The same plans that brought down the figures must be applied for this Easter long weekend. What helped us as the province is that we started our operations much earlier during the Transport Month in October and had weekly operations since the middle of November 2022,” he said.
He said, even though they have a shorter period this time, relentless and continuous operations will give them the same if not better results. Lehari said, in total, there had been a 21% reduction of road fatalities in the province as a result of the ever-present law enforcement on the roads.
“Though arterial routes such as N4, N12, N14, and N18 carry the bulk of the traffic, there is a growing trend of horrific accidents in rural areas. Montshioa in Mafikeng had five fatalities from speeding vehicles and in Taung on N18 road, where the speed limit for both is 60 kilometres per hour.
“We will of course have a presence on all major routes, but we are not going to ignore local roads as recklessness tends to be more there. Most of the accidents had occurred between midnight and 6am in the morning,” said Lehari.
He said as part of the long-term remedial action, law enforcement will be strengthened with the specialised unit to ensure compliance with the law. Lehari highlighted that, already his department has procured 26 high-performance vehicles as well as those suitable for rough terrain.
The Guardian 