22 Feb 2015

Parliament has approved a budget of over P 6 billion to be expended by Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) during 2015/2016 financial year. 

Sealing the debates by legislators, on Thursday, February 19 Minister Slumber Tsogwane appreciated legislators for their ardent and insightful input and support for the budget adding that he noticed that issues raised by legislators showed that they faced almost the same challenges in their constituencies.

Mr Tsogwane said the issues ranged from under resourced customary courts, lack of transport for customary courts, lack of remunerations for some headmen or the need to improve wages for those who were already on the payroll, no village road networks and lighting as well as the number of Ipelegeng beneficiaries and their conditions of work as well as calls to increase old age pensioner’s allowance. 

Mr Tsogwane said the ministry was aware of such challenges and was working to address them. 

He said in the coming financial year, P10 million has been budgeted to maintain customary courts adding that 25 vehicles will be bought to be distributed nationwide in areas where there was critical shortage. 

The minister said P4 million has been budgeted to procure necessary resources needed by tribal administration such as office furniture. 

Further he said, 286 Headmen of Arbitration who were not on payroll will now be paid. 

On Ipelegeng programme which was criticised by some legislators as adding little or no value to the lives of beneficiaries, Minister Tsogwane said there were no plans to increase the allowance to match stipend scales in the market as proposed by some legislators, “Ipelegeng allowances are not meant to be attractive, we do not want to make it attractive such that it competes with key sectors such as Agriculture,” he said. 

Earlier in his debate of the budget proposal, Mochudi East MP, Mr Isaac Davids said finances expended on Ipelegeng Programme should instead be channeled towards technical and vocational training to give Ipelegeng Programme youth beneficiaries something sustainable.

Mr Davids further said the minister should intervene and urge politicians to refrain from interfering with Kgotla systems adding that those are territories for Dikgosi and not politicians.

 He said political activities should not be permitted to take place in a Kgotla. 

Further Mr Davids called for the minister to reinstate Bakgatla paramount chief adding that Kgosi Kgafela was acting on the resolve of his tribe who called for corporal punishment, “Bakgatla ke bone ba tsereng tshwetso ya gore a moretlwa o lele,” he said. 

Palapye MP and Minister of Education, Mr Moiseraela Goya said Palapye was increasingly growing and requested that it should be declared a township. He said necessary amenities such internal roads infrastructure as street lights were needed. 

He said street lights could assist avert some criminal activities that happen under the dark cover.

He also called for improved treatment of old age pensioners adding that at least they should be provided with chairs while queueing for their allowances to be processed at post offices. Further he called for Extension 7 to be turned into a Kgotla Headquarters because it is located in the center of Palapye. 

Tonota MP and also Minister of Youth Sports and Culture, Mr Thapelo Olopeng also supported the budget and called for improvement of road network in his constituency as well as street lights along the roads. 

He said this in real estate terms will increase value of Tonota and it will become attractive to people who work in Francistown to reside there.

Serowe North MP, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse was also of the view that court clerks and court presidents in courts of arbitration were under remunerated while some were not even on payroll.

 He said some court clerks were on A3 salary Scale and there was no sign of progression for them which can be demotivating.

 He said there was need for them to be trained in order to improve their conditions. ENDS