09 Apr 2018

Finance, Planning and Development Committee chairperson in the Central District Council (CDC) , Mr Gaonapelo Kedikilwe says there is need for budget rationalisation exercise at the ministerial level.

Mr Kedikilwe said this at the special full council meeting recently, where the CDC approved P874.6 million as re-current budget for 2018/19 budget.

He indicated that the CDC was still experiencing a deficit as they continued to spend more than apportioned for its day to day running business.

“It is therefore necessary to forgo some activities that they could run the council without and remain with the critical ones. The re-establishment of the Investment Committee during the last full council was meant to grow the council revenue base,” he said.

He noted that the budget proposal totalled P813.8 million which was to be financed by overall estimated revenue support grant and income from own source amounting to P33.7 million.

“The revenue support grant represents 96 per cent of the total estimated income and council’s own source of revenue represent only four percent. The proposed total budget has increased by 6.77 per cent from the 2017/18 budget of P793.9 million,” he said.

He however noted that  income from own source has increased by 2.34 per cent from P33 million to P33.7 million from the previous year.

“As reflected earlier we are not able to collect as per our budget due to various factors such as decrease in demand of some services we offer such as hiring of classrooms, some votes are seasonal such as matimela, auction and insurance commission,” he said.

He noted that the abattoir fee had registered a decrease of 19 per cent as a source of income, as a result of frequent breakdown of abattoir equipment at Gweta, which needed major maintenance.

On advertising signs, he stated that, the vote was anticipated to increase from 13 per cent as council had and was still demolishing illegal signs, hence the new signs would pay as per the new rates approved by the full council.

He highlighted that close monitoring of illegal signs would also be made.

“An increase of 29 per cent is expected under community centre fees because Botswana Examinations Council now utilises Serowe and Mahalapye Community Halls for conducting examinations and the demand for the halls by Education department increases over the years,” he said.

He also said they had registered a decline under day care centre fees, fines by bye-law, hiring of classrooms, plan perusal and sale of sundry items.

However, he indicated that they anticipated increase in community centre fees, insurance commission, interest on investment market fees, matimela fund, sanitation fees, staff housing rent, trade licences school fees and tender fees.

Under the departmental budget, he noted that the social and community development had proposed the largest budget at P206.1 million or 24 per cent of the recurrent budget as opposed to the 2017/18 budget of P187.2 milion.

“The budget increased by 24 per cent from the previuos budget mainly because of the increase in the budget for food and accommodation for remote dwellers programme by 14 per cent as well as the increase of beneficiaries under the social welfare programme,” he said.

Mr Kedikilwe said under RADP, the districts had also made provision for small RADP project in order to uplift livelihood of the people, adding that such projects included tannery, piggery and woodcarving and brick moulding at Tonota, drilling of Khwee boreholes and stocking, vegetable garden at Mahalapye, upgrading of Malatsai bakery, horticulture, poultry and construction of bakery at Tutume Sub-district. ENDS