Located in the aptly named Rea Hola shopping complex, meaning “we are growing”, the Acting Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Lechesa Tsenoli, said that repositioning the office in its new location was aimed at ensuring improved access and maximum impact on the lives of the people within the area.
The Acting Speaker opened the new office to much fanfare and Botshabelo residents hope it will bring Parliament’s services closer to the people. “This office was moved here primarily because it is in reach of the people, as the previous office was far,” Mr Tsenoli acknowledged. “It is important that this office is located here so that the people can have access to their public representative and services of the legislature. Through this intervention, we hope that we will get you the developmental answers you want from government as well as ensuring that you will have access to legislations that we pass in Parliament,” Mr Tsenoli emphasised.
Parliamentary constituency offices were established to enable Members of Parliament to remain in contact with the people they represent, be available to the public, help solve problems and report back to their constituents on what is happening in Parliament.
The Acting Speaker also stressed the importance of the linkages the office must create between the three spheres of government in resolving daily challenges people face. “We also hope this office will ensure responsiveness to questions raised by the community. We request that councilors and government departments respect officials from these offices when they come looking for information because they will be asking in the interest of the people,” Mr Tsenoli said.
The local councilor, Mr Dikololo Matshepe, represented the Mangaung Metro at the launch. He emphasised importance of collaboration in resolving issues affecting the people. “Today our people will understand the relationship between the people and Parliament. Because of the proximity to the people, this office will ensure that people understand the oversight role of Parliament and why it was created to ensure effective service delivery. We appreciate the decision to move the office to this location because it is now placed at an area frequented by the people,” Mr Matshepe pointed out.
In a move to further strengthen access, the Acting Speaker also launched a specially designed Google Maps directory of all Parliamentary Constituency Offices across the country. The map lists contact details of every constituency office, its location, and the public representative responsible for that office.
“The advent of Covid-19 necessitated that we embrace technology as a tool to enhance access to Parliament,” Mr Tsenoli said. “Many people have seen how we struggled with live sittings of Parliament utilising technology, but I am happy to say that we have made significant progress, hence the adoption of this Google Maps directory. We encourage people to interface with this directory and be in touch with their respective representatives,” Mr Tsenoli suggested.
Despite the inconvenient position of the previous office, Mr Tsenoli highlighted a few of its successes, including donating 100 wheelchairs to people living with disabilities in the area. “We were able, through the generosity of one business leader, to donate those wheelchairs and ensure mobility for people with disability in the area. We hope that many such philanthropic gestures will be realized, especially now that we are in this economic area,” Mr Tsenoli said.
Mr Tsenoli also urged the municipality to speedily refurbish walkways and cut grass to ensure that beneficiaries benefit from the wheelchairs as much as possible. Mr Tsenoli also urged the incoming cohort of Members of Parliament to strengthen their work to ensure a better life for the people of Botshabelo to ensure that they too baa hola.
By Malatswa Molepo
17 May 2024
Arrange a tour