24 Mar 2013

 

The Mayor of Gaborone Mr Haskins Nkaigwa has told Gaborone City Council (GCC) full meeting that council has already spent P198 123 970 against the P242 099 420 budget for the 2012/13 financial year.

Addressing councillors at the on-going council session, Mr Nkaigwa said the unspent money would be depleted before the end of this financial year by salaries and other recurrent expenditures.

The mayor however said they have approved a P253 million budget for the 2013/14 financial year. This, he said, is made up of P150 million Revenue Support Grant while the rest will be from council own revenue sources. Nonetheless, he said this was insufficient particularly with regards to the council’s development agenda, hence the need to put in motion the plans and programmes that would bring in the much needed revenue.

“It is against this background that we must have an updated progress report from our Revenue Generation Taskforce before the sitting of the winter session”, he said.

Meanwhile mayor Nkaigwa said as of December 2012, the council collected rates amounting to P35 730 401.79 against the targeted P60 million adding that it showed the success rate of 60 per cent.

He informed councillors that the rates billing for 2012/13 financial year which was delayed due to some technical problems had finally been released and the clients will be sent their bills.

The council’s success rate of 69 per cent was recorded in the collection of service levy arrears where P1 159 473.32 was collected against the targeted P1 688 400. The council intends to embark on house to house campaigns to sensitise the defaulters, he said.

On market stall rental arrears, he said the council collected P1 146 534.45 against the targeted P2 062 970, resulting in a shortfall of P916 435.55  However, he said the council was facing a challenge of some tenants who were legally evicted but re-occupied the market stalls without permission from the council.

On other issues, mayor Nkaigwa said the council received donations from the Office of the President in the form of shirts to be given to destitute persons. He said Gaborone West also received a donation in the form of pre-school stationery and backpacks from Ms Leungo Maiseboa, who is an Ambassador for Gaborone International Performing Arts Festival Association (GIPAFA).

ENDS