05 Mar 2013

Parliament has approved over P5.4 billion to be used by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for its recurrent and development budget for the 2013/14 financial year.

Minister Peter Siele said the department of local government finance and procurement services will be allocated the largest share of over P3 billion to cover local authorities as revenue support grant as well as food supplies.

The department of social services takes the next largest share of over P832 million which will cover procurement of 30 000 blankets and 9 918 radios for destitute persons and some old age pensioners who have no care, the minister said.

Furthermore, a budget of over P296 million was proposed for the department of tribal administration to undertake countrywide maintenance of customary courts,  while the remaining amount of over P280 million will be shared among the five ministry departments.

Under the development budget, the ministry will use over P1bn to cover expenditure of the six mega projects which were delayed at the start of the current financial.

Over P580 million will be used for the Ipelegeng programme, out of which over P353 million will cover wages for labourers and supervisors whose rates will be increased.

The balance of over P227 million will be used to procure material as well as running and sustenance costs of the programme.

The village infrastructure programme will use over P188 million for construction of the Bobonong and Letlhakeng roads, Molepolole bus rank, the final account for Gumare internal roads and bus rank as well as compensation for the completed Maun internal roads.

The ministry will also finance implementation of rural water supply projects in Boteti northern cluster, Seronga-Gunotsoga-Beetsha-Gudigwa, the rehabilitation of Shakawe treatment plant and construction of desalination plants at Radisele and New Xade.

The funds, the minister said, will also cover drilling and equipping of boreholes in North West, Central, Kweneng, Kgalagadi and Ghanzi districts.

Parliament had also heard that the municipal services programme required P60 million to construct the Palapye bus rank and procure furniture and equipment for the completed fire stations at Mochudi and Maun.

The social welfare programme required P45 million to construct houses for destitute persons’ countrywide, Mr Siele said.

He further noted that over P17 million will be shared among remote area development programme, consultancies, rural administration centres and customary courts to pay for different activities and final accounts.

Parliament was also told that although the proposed development budget for the next financial year represented an increase of 24.9 per cent compared to last year’s revised budget, the increase did not cover new projects which, he said, remained deferred due to budgetary constraints.

The minister also noted that the budget will not be able to cover critical needs, particularly in areas such as fire stations, rural administration centres, customary courts and village infrastructure. He added that projects will be considered once the financial situation improved in subsequent financial years. ENDS