11 Jul 2017

Southern District Council (SDC) chairperson, Mr Alec Seametso has commended public servants and councillors for their solid working relationship during the preparations and the burial service of Sir Ketumile Masire in Kanye.

Speaking during the opening of the Southern District full council session in Kanye on Monday, Mr Seametso thanked officers for their responsibility and for extending a warm welcome to guests.

He also thanked Councillors for re-electing him as council chairperson and called for their support during his term in the office.

Councillor Seametso also thanked BDP members for voting in Vice President Mokgweeetsi Masisi as the BDP chairman as well as Ms Ponatshego Tshiping as an additional member to BDP Central Committee. He said they were blessed to have such people in their district.

Touching on the district roads, Mr Seametso said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had since allocated P16 370 000 to the SDC for the maintenance of roads.

Mr Seametso said council had requested funds from the ministry for the district roads maintenance, adding that as part of their mandate they had to ensure that local communities thrive in a sustainable environment.

He said there was a need to maintain environmental cleanliness, adding that the council, in conjunction with the community continued to conduct clean-up campaigns to improve the health of the community, as well as the physical appearance of the district.

He therefore called upon the business community to partake in waste management initiatives and practice polluter pays principle to make the district green.

Mr Seametso said in the past years, Ngwaketse Land Board had targeted to allocate 12 485 plots while the actual allocation currently stands at 51.9 per cent which translates to 6 484 plots.

He said low allocation of plots was as a result of some applicants not honouring invitations. Ngwaketse Land Board continues to implement the national land registration exercise throughout its area of jurisdiction, he said.

Mr Seametso said ‘implementation of Poverty Eradication Programme was going well as the owners were able to sustain their families.’

To date, he said, out of 7 215 applicants, only 3 767 qualified.

He explained that government’s objective included achieving a dignified life for all citizens and their mandate as local authorities was to deliver programmes and projects that would uplift economically marginalised and socially vulnerable members of the society.

“The aim of this programme is to ensure that every able-bodied poor Motswana steps out of poverty and embarks on a road to wealth creation,’’ Cllr Seametso said.

He said government has acquired top 50 poverty eradication machineries from which the district would benefit.

He said Moshupa Sub-district would have two machines for toilet paper making and washing powder making at Pitseng. 

He said the toilet paper machine had 24 beneficiaries who had been trained and were now in operation.

The chairperson said they had so far produced over 300 toilet papers. 

He further indicated that two machines would be supplied to Kanye Administrative Authority (KAA), for ice making and core making machine while Mabutsane Sub-district would be supplied with a Sunflower machine.

He noted that Good Hope Sub-district would be supplied with six laundry bar machines at Mabule, pellet making machine and brick moulding machines for Phitshane/Molopo and Ramatlabama beneficiaries would get liquid packaging machines.

On women economic empowerment programmes, Mr Seametso said a total of 357 projects had been received in the entire district, 105 had been approved, 58 rejected while 194 proposals were still to be assessed.

He encouraged fellow councillors and public officers to transform the district into a place that offered employment, productive investments and visible change for the betterment of people’s lives.

‘’I am certain that we can work together and use the little resources we have to ensure that we keep momentum in achieving our country’s dreams and aspirations of the long-term Vision 2036 and sustainable development goals’’, he stated.

He noted that SDC had been operating with a deficit budget for the past two successive financial years, and 2016/17 had not been an exception, adding that management did its best to exercise belt-tightening measures as it continued to experience significant over-expenditures on various votes.

In addition, he said, out of the 16 Economic Stimulus Projects for the financial year 2016/17 implemented in different sub districts; nine were complete while seven were in progress at different stages of construction. ENDs