13 Mar 2018

Parliament has approved P8 534 076 219 as the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development’s recurrent and development budget proposals for the 2018/2019 financial year.

Presenting his ministry’s budget proposals, local government and rural development minister, Mr Slumber Tsogwane explained that P6 282 803 420 was for the recurrent budget and P2 251 272 799 for the development budget.

The proposed ministry budget, he said, reflected an increase of more than P657 million or 12 per cent more than the current year’s budget of more than P5.6 billion.

From the proposed recurrent budget, Minister Tsogwane said the Department of Local Government, Finance and Procurement Services would get the largest share of more than P4.4 billion or 70.9 per cent of the total ministerial budget.

“This amount includes more than P3 778 149 650 billion for Local Authorities’ Revenue Support Grant and P600 million for the supplementary feeding programme. The remainder of more than P77 million will be shared among other items,” he said.

Furthermore, the minister said more than P1 billion or 17.2 per cent was the second largest share proposed for the Department of Social Protection.

He noted that the funds would cater for the Old Age Pension at more than P589 million, Orphan Care Programme at P220 083 500 and Destitute Cash Allowance at more than P90 million.

The remainder of more than P179 million, Mr Tsogwane said, would be shared amongst other items.

He said the third largest share of P526 011 750 of the ministry’s budget would go to the Department of Tribal Administration.

“Out of this amount, P437 935 550 will be used to pay personnel emoluments for the department, while the remainder of P88 076 200 will be shared amongst other items,” he added.

The remaining balance of the ministry’s proposed recurrent budget of more than P221 million or 3.5 per cent of the budget, Minister Tsogwane said, would be shared by five departments at headquarters being Corporate Services, Community Development, Local Governance and Development Planning, Rural Development Council and Local Government Technical Services.
The ministry, he said, was allocated a budget of more than P1.7 billion for 2017/2018, adding that as at January 2018, total expenditure was more than P1.5 billion or 89.3 per cent of the approved budget.

Under the development budget proposal, the minister said more than P2.2 billion would go towards programmes and projects in the 2018/2019 financial year. This, he added, showed an increase of P513 million or 29.5 per cent more than the current year’ revised budget of more than P1.7 billion.
The development budget, he said, would be shared amongst ministry programmes such as Ipelegeng which would get P635 million or 28.2 per cent, the development of primary education facilities would get more than P627 million or 27.9 per cent and constituency community projects would receive P570 million or 25.3 per cent.
Additionally, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development said local government infrastructure investment and services had been allocated P292 million or 12.9 per cent.

Out of the funds, he said P285 million would be for three economic stimulus projects, being the Gabane, Kang and Tutume roads  as well as storm water drainage, whilst P7 million would be for the feasibility study of the Gaborone transfer station and sorting Centre.

Mr Tsogwane also noted that the Social Welfare and Development Programme (Social Single Registry, Countrywide and Remote Area Development Programme (RADP) destitute housing) would get P105 million or 4.7 per cent, Tribal Administration Infrastructure Development P20 million or 0.9 per cent whilst RADP projects would get P2 million or 0.1 per cent. ENDS