25 Apr 2016

The Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso, has urged village development committees (VDC) in Tonota Sub-district to work as a unit with stakeholders to develop their villages.

Addressing VDC members in Tonota on Friday, Ms Tshireletso said VDCs had to organise residents structurally at a local level and to create a partnership between the community and the public sector for improved service delivery.

She said VDC had a status as an autonomous institution and authority for interacting with the more institutions of governance in the country.

Ms Tshireletso said in doing so, the VDC gave villagers an element of control and responsibility in development and ensured proper use and distribution of state funds and a greater interaction between government officials, NGOs and agencies.

She also encouraged them to keep their records in everything they did to avoid conflicts that could arise between the members, noting that each VDC was divided into several wards depending on population of the district.

Commenting about their challenges, the Tonota Sub-district umbrella VDC chairperson, Mr Oeme Tangani, raised a concern about delay in payment of their sitting allowances payments.

Mr Tangani pleaded with Ms Tshireletso for the increase of their sitting allowance.

He requested that their working period to be increased from a three-year period of service to five years just like Members of Parliament because the committees were backbone of the development.

Mr Tangani also expressed concern about one of the guidelines, which stated that members of VDC or WDC, or their close relatives were excluded from participating in the provision of sustenance to Ipelegeng beneficiaries, noting that it denied their close relatives opportunities.

He added that the guideline had brought conflicts amongst them, noting that only the executive members were left and some of the members of the committee in other areas, had quit in order to benefit.

Tonota VDC member, Mr Gohemela Ramahobo, said they lacked financial support to implement their ideas.

Responding to some of their challenges, Ms Botlogile dismissed the guideline allegations and said VDC members were not rich and they also had the rights as Batswana to access to benefit from Ipelegeng programmes. 

She said some of their issues would be taken to the relevant authorities and encouraged them to improve productivity of the beneficiaries and also promote local economic empowerment of the communities.ENDS