01 May 2019

Legislator for Serowe North, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse has clarified that constituency development funds were administered from councils, not MP’s office for ease of project implementation.

Mr Autlwetse, who is also the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said in a kgotla meeting he addressed at Ditimamodimo ward in Serowe on April 29 that the move was informed by findings that councils were far better resourced than MP’s office.

Councils, the MP said, were endowed with professionally trained experts in management of funds, project management and implementation, supervision as well as monitoring. 

Moreover, Mr Autlwetse said councils were resourced with equipment to assist in carrying out some jobs.

Initially, the Serowe North legislator said there were suggestions that the funds be managed from the district commissioner’s office. 

However, like the MP’s office, the district commissioner’s office lacked expertise required for implementing such projects, he noted.

Mr Autlwetse hastened informed his electorate that despite that the funds were managed at councils, projects to be undertaken were a product of consultations between the MP, community leaders and the community at large.

Although community leaders and the community may suggest the kind of projects they deemed necessary for their wards, the final word lied with the MP. 

In fact, Mr Autlwetse described the P10-million constituency development funds as a historic development on the part of MPs.

He said that initially MPs did not have funds directly under their control to aid developments in their constituencies. 

Like his constituents, Mr Autlwetse was upbeat that the fund bore healthy fruits.

In further detailing the processes of utilising the constituency development funds, Mr Autlwetse informed his electorate that following his final decision, projects to be undertaken were submitted to the council for funding.

However, processes of engaging contractors were a preserve for the council which boasts the know-how, he said. To that, Mr Autlwetse absolved MPs and Cllrs from collusion and corruption, which some constituents alleged.

Further, he cleared that with every public funds there ought to be a report on their spending, allaying fears that the funds could be misappropriated.

On the same subject, Mr Autlwetse told his electorate that they had since decided against building houses in Serowe, but concentrated on construction of internal roads to improve accessibility and ease movement. Ends