Shashemooke: A village weighed down with wretchedness

Barati Mathambo
Correspondent | Friday April 12, 2013 00:00

Sadness permeates the village like the air that they breathe as stagnation of the village's development is taking its toll on the residents.Lack of developments in this small village of less than 5, 000 people, about 15 kilometres south west of Francistown, has left residents with a colossal heartache and visible envy at neighbouring villages who have made telling economic advances.It all starts with the bumpy and dusty pathway that has reduced public transport vehiclesto a ramshackle lot.  Others have pulled out of the business of transporting people because it is simply unsustainable.

After the inevitable bumpy ride into Shashemooke, one is greeted by a small tuck-shop by the roadside with empty shelves. It is not clear whether of the 12 tuck-shops that populate the village were once thriving trading places, which Mmegi learnt, have since closed shop (literally). Not only the shops, but also pre-schools that had hopes of filling classrooms with tiny-tots have shut their doors as they found the going tough in trying to attract a clientele.

The lugubrious atmosphere that saturates this hamlet is best exemplified by its Kgosi, Batsogile Adam who summed up the dire situation in his village in an interview with Mmegi. He said that it seems that though developments came late to his village, which used to be a settlement, or a mere cattlepost to some, back in the days, somewhere along the line, inexplicably, things started going haywire.'Developments started coming to Shashemooke in 1961 and it is through those years that the village started to show growth. In 1982, Shashemooke Primary School was opened and it started with all streams- from Standard One to Seven,' he said.Shashemooke has, according to the headman, five wards (dikgotla), which are Tlholo, Pitshane, Phirinyane, Muzila and Setambule.

'Many of the people here are those that came from North East District (NED) in the 1970s during the Ian Smith War in Zimbabwe which was affecting them. 'During the war the people from NED took refuge in our village and ever since then we have been one united village with a population of over 4 000 this day,' he said.Despite the increase in the population, it was not the case with developments, which have lagged behind.  'The village has only one health post which has become very small for the villagers and it is forever congested. Those who have no money to go to other clinics as far as Francistown are always queuing to get help,' he said.Adam said that even the clinic is short-staffed with only two nurses for the whole population.

'Another challenge that we are facing is the primary school which has become small for the number of students admitted in it. The school has eight blocks of classes and over 900 students in it,' he said.He continued to say that the school is so congested that some of the students have no classes where they can be taught. Instead they take refuge under trees. 'During rainy seasons and windy days students have no way to go and this also affects their studies. We have appealed to the government to build us another school and we are still waiting in anticipation,' he said.Another challenge they are facing is shortage of water whereby the village can go for days without the liquid gold.

'This shortage of water has affected the Government's poverty eradication programmes such as backyard gardening because none of the residents are able to grow vegetables as they will have nothing to water them with,' he said.Lastly he said that shops have also closed down and only tuck-shops are running and that there is no business in the village.However, beyond the gloom and doom that characterises Shashemooke, Adam sees a light at the end of the tunnel, or a silver lining in the dark nimbus clouds having over the village.It is the road that, though he feels it is taking 'forever' to finish, he is nevertheless happy that at least there is progress.'At least it is at last,' he said, about the road.

A resident of the village, Gilbert Matebesi (30) expressed mixed feelings about the latest developments, especially the road construction.  'It took ages for the road that is from Shashemooke to Francistown to be done and all along we have been suffering. The road which is being built at the moment has cost us because our cars have been damaged,' he said.He continued to say that some of the cars have been parked at home because they have no money to maintain them.  'Also having no bridge across Shashe River for us to use to go to and from Francistown, has given us sleepless nights. We had to use the Borolong route during rainy seasons when the river is flooded,' he said.

Boineelo Thapisa, a combi driver, said that at the moment Shashemooke has no developments coming to it and it is a disappointment for him that nothing has changed over the past years. He complained about the Chinese who are laying down the new road saying that they were not covering the sand in their trucks and what ensues is dust obscuring their views as they drive along the road. Another resident who opted to remain anonymous was pessimism personified when he said Shashemooke was in a serious rut and that nothing at all was changing.

'It takes ages for developments to come here and as for us we a running out of patience because there is no change, 'she said. Her lamentations were to do with the pre-schools that have closed in the village.She said because of that, their children were suffering. 'My greatest wish is for the road to be completed in time. Maybe it will bring changes,' she said in a faltering voice.