03 Jun 2015

Ntlo ya Dikgosi chairperson and Batlokwa paramount chief, Kgosi Puso says it is important for organisations to plan and strategise how to reach their clientele.

Kgosi Puso said this on une 2 when addressing the South East District councillors and senior managers during the council’s annual performance plan cascading workshop.

He said organisations must plan and strategise on how to improve service delivery given the limited recourses at their disposal.“Find out what are the gaps in the systems and how they can be closed,” Kgosi Puso said.

The Batlokwa paramount chief commended the council for having found it necessary to equip councillors on annual performance planning and said this would assist the council to drive its mission and vision.

He said the decision would make councillors effective in their business and how they relate with their stuff. Kgosi Puso also said it was important that councillors understand their roles in the planning process and implementation.

For his part, the deputy council secretary, Mr Batlhodi Noge said the workshop would assist the councillors to know council businesses and be able to make the council staff account.

Mr Noge also added that without knowing the council processes, it would be difficult for the councillors to hold officers accountable.

Nonetheless, he added that the council had noted that there was need to come up with monitoring tools so as to monitor projects implementation progress.“There is lack of communication and coordination, we realised that we do not report adequately,” said Mr Noge.Further, he said the council at times fails to execute its annual plan due to budgetary constraints and lack of accountability.

The council chief finance and development planning Officer, Ms Queen Swapo noted that the council has only P134 million for the 2015-16 financial year.

However, she noted that about 55 per cent of the council budget goes towards staff salaries hence they are constrained financially.

She noted that the situation was further compounded by the council’s lack of own revenue collecting mechanisms.

Ms Swapo noted that they were in the process of seeing to it that entities doing business in the Gaborone Commerce Park and Tlokweng Industrial pay their rates to augment the council revenues.

The three days cascading workshop of the council s annual performance plan will end on Thursday June 4. ENDS