19 Feb 2019

Kanye Administrative Authority has spent P77.9 million or 78.48 per cent of its P99.3 million budget for the 2018/19 financial year as at January 2019.

Delivering the keynote address at a sub council session on Monday, deputy chairperson Mr Thapelo Pelekekae said personal emoluments took 48.2 per cent while running expenses stood at 15.7 per cent.

He said establishment expenses stood at 6.7 per cent while special expenses amounted to 29.4 per cent of total expenditure.

Mr Pelekekae said virements amounting to P6.7 million were done to offset over-expenditure incurred as at December 2018.

On income income collection, he said by December 2018 it stood at 52.60 per cent which meant only P2 039 0236.73 out of a budget of P3 877 110 had been collected.

Mr Pelekekae said own source collection including community centre fees, fines, bye-law fees, hiring of classrooms, insurance commission, matimela and trade licences managed to collect more than their quarterly targets.

Due to budget constraints, Mr Pelekekae urged the council to come up with more revenue collection strategies to increase revenue base.

On other issues, he expressed concern over the 2018/19 ploughing season which was characterised by harsh weather conditions that included high temperatures and low uneven rainfall which forced farmers to satrt ploughing late.

“Even though ploughing period was to end by January 31 in the southern region, it was extended from February 1 to 2 owing to late rains,” he said.

Mr Pelekakae said 4 683 farmers registered on time to utilise ISPAAD packages.

Seed distributions to extension areas started early in September though farmers were reluctant to collect the inputs, he said.

Mr Pelekekae noted that 2 599 farmers comprising 1 339 males and 126 females, were issued with 9.97 metric tons of sorghum, 66.55 metric tons of maize and 18.8 metric tons of cowpeas with balances of 2.5 metric tons of sorghum and 0.8 metric tons of cowpeas

Furthermore, he said, 304.74 hectares were paid to 38 farmers among them six youths comprising four males and two females.

Mr Pelekekae said so far eight suppliers of fertilizers, fodder and herbicides had been paid a total of P1.56 million.

Regarding horticultural issues, Mr Pelekekae said a total of 61.49 tonnes of vegetables were harvested from 1.94 hectares by 18 farmers, eight of them Poverty Eradication Programme beneficiaries in the third quarter of 2018/19 compared to 40.07 tonnes in 2017/18.

He said neither individual backyard gardens nor institutions under Poverty Eradication Programme were performing due to water scarcity adding that cumulative vegetable production was only 492.8kg.Ends