05 Apr 2016

The public has been urged to familiarise themselves with their local council committees as they are the ones that make crucial decisions on the day to day running of the services offered by councils.

These sentiments were echoed by Francistown’s nominated councilor and also a member of the City of Francistown Council Committee on Education and Health, Mr Zazambi Tuelo in an interview with BOPA on Monday.

Mr Tuelo said it was disheartening that many people are often clueless about the structures that run the administration of council services, something, which he said misled the public in knowing the right channels to follow when lodging complaints with councils.

Cllr Zazambi said committees such as that of Self Help Housing Agency (SHAA) were mandated with giving orders on when and who gets to be allocated plots and why, so when a land allocation applicant sees that their application is not forthcoming, they can always approach the SHAA council committee members to get clarifications on land allocation delays.

“Regrettably committee meetings are confidential and inaccessible to the public but when the confidential information has been screened, committee reports are then availed to the general public at full council meetings. 

Sadly, the public are also still lagging behind in attending full council meetings,” he noted.

Furthermore, Mr Tuelo said it was shocking that during full councils, a large audience is often present during the first day of the full council session to listen to the mayor’s speech and after that they are gone.

He noted that days after the mayor’s main speech are also equally important to the public in that those are the days when the public can scrutinise motions presented by their leaders and get to listen to answers pertaining to their grievances from different ministries, parastatals and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

“Batswana should actively play a role in the day to day running of their country. They should vote in local and general elections and also attend council and parliamentary sittings, developments can only come when the public work together with the leadership to bring such developments,” he said.

On other issues, Cllr Tuelo noted that their Education and Health committee is impressed with the level of commitment from all stakeholders involved in making education and health in Francistown a success.

The Gerald Estate Junior Secondary School construction, he said, was on-going and Phase 1 of the project, which included the school itself, has been estimated to cost more than P118 million and was reported at 27 percent as at February 2016 and was expected to be complete by 17 June 2016.

He said Phase 2 of the school, which comprises housing units (flats) at Gerald but outside the school were to cost more than P15 million and the contractor is expected to hand it to council by 30 March 2016.

Other educational developments under their committee include the on-going construction of teacher’s houses at China Town and two blocks of toilets at Phatlhogo Primary School.“

I am optimistic that we will push for the completion of all this projects within time and budget. 

My committee is also pushing hard for the funding, by the Ministry of Health of the expansion of Nyangagwe Referral Hospital into the old Golf course plot,” he concluded. Ends