14 Mar 2017

Palapye Administrative Authority (PAA) has been allocated over P21 million to carry out 71 projects that include construction and labour intensive projects most of which are at finishing stage.

Briefing Palapye Sub-council, Ipelegeng coordinator, Mr Patrick Ratsima said construction and labour intensive work has been estimated to take 12 months.

He informed the councillors that during this financial year the council engaged a total of 22 320 beneficiaries on rotational basis.

The council also managed to employ 2 299 green scorpion employees.

Mr Ratsima said the feeding programme was going well with the amount of over P3 million paid to suppliers since the beginning of the programme this financial year.

A total of 356 suppliers, most of whom are female, benefited from the programme.

He said during this period the community has been encouraged, through proper consultation to enroll more than one supplier and divide the group per number of enrolled supplier, that is at least 20 beneficiaries per supplier, so that most of them can benefit.

He said such would also improve quality and food hygiene, noting that after selling the ideas to VDCs, it was adopted and implemented.

Mr Ratsima said there were still some challenges such as shortage of tools and funds that sometimes delay projects to be completed at the stipulated time, citing Malaka as an example where toilets, a holding cell, parking lot and office furniture as well as connection of electricity to LA3 houses were in a halt due to funds.

He said the increased number of non-rotating beneficiaries such as people living with disability and destitute persons adds to their woes.

He said his office addressed the problem by liaising with roads unit, schools and clinics for tools.

His office also requested for funding of the uncompleted projects.

Council economic planner, Ms Ompone Motlogelwa also briefed the council on the Project Memorandum, which was submitted to the ministry for the implementation of the 2017/18 Ipelegeng Programme for PAA.

A cost of over P19 million is expected to cover material costs, labour and sustenance costs.

Ms Motlogelwa informed councillors that PAA was serving vast areas as it has Palapye as a full constituency and other four more constituencies, whose villages spill over to PAA, increasing the work load and number of beneficiaries.

Councillors however had mixed reactions regarding the issue with some decrying lack of consultation on rationing of suppliers while other councillors welcomed the new development. ENDS