11 Jun 2018

The 2018/19 Ipelegeng Programme for Tonota Sub-district Council is said to be facing budgetary constraints as there is no provision for running costs.

Ipelegeng programme coordinator, Mr Keamogetse Aleseng told a sub-council meeting recently that for the year 2018/19, the programme has been provided with funds amounting to P16 575 294, which have not yet been released from the  ministry.

He said P9 957 176, which constitutes 60 per cent of the funds, has since been requested, and that a total of P1 213 050.70 has been expended as at April 2018.

Mr Aleseng said the programme was implementing 79 projects which included fencing of cemeteries at Gojwane and Serule, one Kitsong Centre at Mabesekwa, two modification projects, eight construction projects, three culverts and dam desilting, 14 debushing of roads and destumping, 24 vegetation control in government institutions and debushing around the village, 24 litter picking and one maintenance of drift fence.

He said 67 projects were between one and 25 per cent complete while 12 projects have not yet started.

Furthermore, he said they were not able to fund the daily running costs of Ipelegeng and were faced with a challenge of over grown vegetation.

Mr Aleseng noted that remedial measures had been taken for the council to meet the running costs while they had adopted a trial strategy to cluster Tonota VDCs in order to increase manpower due to the workload.

A total of 1 843 beneficiaries were employed for the month of May 2018 as per the sub-district monthly quota of the same figure and a cumulative number of 3 686 beneficiaries had been employed as at May, comprising 2 422 females and 1 264 males.

Mr Aleseng said 994 youth, made up of 570 females and 424 males, had been engaged and 180 being 142 females and 38 males green scorpions had been employed as at May 2018.

He said 68 snack suppliers were engaged during May, 61 females and seven males, amongst them eight youth and a cumulative number of 136 suppliers have been employed, 122 females and 14 males including 16 youth.

Councillor Christian Machokoto of Tonota Central applauded Ipelegeng for having visible projects, adding that it was a good programme that needed financing to carry out projects so that the main focus would not be debushing.

He pleaded with the relevant office to be consistent in paying Ipelegeng employees, saying they were not supposed to be subjected to delays as they finished their work well on time, noting also that they were earning what he termed peanuts. ENDS