01 Mar 2017

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Mr Slumber Tsogwane has hailed Lobatse town council leadership for taking it upon themselves to create a road map that would guide them to remain competitive and provide quality service to the public.

Speaking during Mayors Road Map launch on February 28, he said the initiative, was “first of its kind” in the entire country and he commended them for the  idea.

He said the notion came at the right time when the government was working round the clock to promote service delivery in all its sectors.

The minister said the road map also came at an opportune time few days after the national launch of Vision 2036 and the National Development Plan (NDP) 11 which he said were framed to improve the standards of living for the satisfaction of the community and stakeholders.

Mr Tsogwane said it was imperative to have frameworks aligned to the national vision and NDP that would help to master the complexities of the systems and identify new ways of performing functions effectively.

He implored all political and administrative leadership to abide by the unveiled road map in order to promote effective implementation of policies and programmes.

“A leader must live by values and principles and surely one must abide by them at all times,” he said.

However, he said there were internal and external hurdles that would crop up during their journey but he called on the council to remain united to achieve their mandate.

When outlining the road map overview, Lobatse Town Mayor, Ms Malebogo Kruger, said during her inauguration in 2014, when she made it to the helm of the council, she called for teamwork amongst the council leadership.

She said she was already enjoying the fruit of teamwork amongst the two leadership being political leadership and dministrative leadership.  

Ms Kruger explained that the road map came as an ultimate model that would contribute to provision of quality basic infrastructure and social services that would in the long run improve and sustain the development of their community.

She also said their aim was to promote frequent and constant contact with members of the community by engaging with them in various friendly and relaxed forums such as taking council to the people and dipitso in order to appreciate their ‘valuable’ ideas.

Moreover, she applauded her councillors for their ‘remarkable performance’ and collaboration in their council functions and urged them to continue with that spirit for the benefit of their town.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Wood hall Customary Court president, Kgosi Pius Letsholo lauded the mayor and council management for having a vision for their town.

He said it was imperative for those in leadership to have a charter that would guide them in their daily operations.

He called on the council management to collaborate in their operations so that they would be able to point out major challenges and decide on practical solutions as a team and bring positive changes to the  community.

In his closing remarks, Lobatse deputy town mayor, Mr Francis Mokwena, called on all the council employees to own the road map that would serve as a guiding tool   for them to perform their duties diligently.

He said they were open for suggestion and ideas from community members and other key stakeholders so that they could assimilate them into their development planning processes.

He also encouraged them to unite and close any possible existing gaps in their operations for proper coordination of programmes. ENDS