11 Jan 2017

 North West district council chairperson, Mr Reaboka Mbulawa has encouraged political leaders and technocrats to work together harmoniously as this would improve service delivery.

Officially opening Palapye Administration Authority (PAA) councilors’ retreat on Tuesday in Maun, Mr Mbulawa said even though as councillors they came from different political homes it was important for them to work together like a well-oiled machine for the benefit of the public.

He said good service delivery could only be achieved if councillors and the technocrats join hands to assist the people.

Mr Mbulawa further advised councillors to up their game in terms of understanding issues so that they could be at par with the public servants. He advised councillors to ensure that knowledgeable people were elected in village development committees as the move could improve the quality of the committees and the reports they produce.

There were plenty of retired educated public servants who could be utilised in VDCs, observed Mr Mbulawa.

He said there was a need to up the quality of VDCs as every national planning started with them.

However PAA council chairperson, Mr Lesedi Phuthego, expressed the importance of equipping councilors with the right skills to improve their deliberations.

Palapye was growing fast and threatening to be a city and this comes with challenges that needed quality leadership, he said.

Furthermore, he said challenges that came with the growth of PAA needed leaders and public servants to work as team in smart ways to enhance service delivery.

Mr Phuthego said it was through such retreats that leadership skills could be impacted to councilors as a way of empowering them.

“I hope that when we complete this retreat we would be more sharpened and determined to deliver services that could improve the lives of Batswana,” he said.

However PAA assistant council secretary, Mr Mogorosi Kokoro, said the retreat was meant for leadership enhancement through knowledge sharing.

He said topics like economic development, finance and budgeting, as well as team work shall be taught during the retreat. ENDS