26 Mar 2017

Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso has told Parliament that councils are self-regulating institutions in so far as conducting own business is concerned.
She said they were required to make standing orders that would regulate business and procedure of council.
Ms Tshireletso also admitted that some sub-district councils in the Central District Council (CDC) expended two days in the sub council sitting of March 2017 discussing District Development Plan 8 (DDP8).
The assistant minister pointed that in terms of Section 62 of the Local Government Act of 2012, councils were self-regulating entities while Section 23 empowers the mayor or chairperson of a council or sub-district/administrative authority to preside at any meeting of the council or sub district council/ administrative authority.
“Therefore, it is the prerogative of the respective chairperson or mayor to allocate discussion time of any matter in accordance with the dictates of the business at hand,” she said.
Ms Tshireletso said discussions at the district level were a necessary part of the development planning approach which promotes the principle of consultation.
Consequently, she said the needs and aspirations of citizens at the district level were carried and reflected in the District Development Plan (DPP). “The DDP should be understood as a major statement of the districts’ intensions and development path for the plan period.”
Ms Tshireletso said it would be a grave disservice to discount the DDP to a document that contains the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development projects only.
Boteti East MP, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe had wanted to know if it was true that councillors from about six different sub districts in the Central District Council (CDC) were accorded two days sitting to discuss the DDP budgets and projects.
He also wanted to find out how many days were accorded other districts in Botswana, and the number of councillors and sub districts involved in each of these districts.
MP Lelatisitswe further wanted to establish if two days was enough to scrutinise the projects, and as to who determines the time allocation for council sittings.
The Boteti East MP also wanted to know whether it was necessary to have councillors discussing projects even those that were not under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and why so. ENDS