01 Jul 2019

Boswelatlou ward councillor, Mr Themba Stimela, has asked Lobatse Town Council to intensify bush clearing through Ipelegeng Programme.

Commenting during discussion of the report on Ipelegeng  activities, Mr Stimela said some areas in Lobatse had thick vegetation that posed risk to residents’ lives.

He said criminals hid on those bushes and attacked passers-by to rob them their belongings. Mr Stimela said such robberies were prevalent in bushes along the railway in Boswelatlou and Tsopeng North.

Tsopeng North ward councillor, Mr Gofaone Kedise, stated that people were killed around the Pitikwe location by criminals last year. He therefore said mass clearing of bushes was necessary.

Woodhall ward councilor Mr Molaodi Mantle called for intensification of desilting exercise. He said it has been many years now without the exercise taking place in Lobatse.

Maokaneng ward councilor Ms Tiny Dinoko called for close monitoring of Ipelegeng supervisors, whom she said were oppressive to workers. 

Lobatse Ipelegeng coordinator, Mr Gerald Mahumba, explained in his report that they were hamstrung by shortage of equipment to carry out some labour intensive projects adequately.

Mr Mahumba said the council had been allocated P8 million for the 2019/20 financial to implement 51 projects, among them vegetation control.

Mr Mahumba added that other labour intensive projects that the council would carry out included desilting and garbage collection. He said some of the labour intensive projects had already commenced.

In addition to the labour intensive project, which will be 47 in number, Mr Mahumba said the council would implement technical projects in the current financial year. He said Ipelegeng had engaged a total of 1 045 women and 467 men.

He said the programme was experiencing a challenge of poor productivity as well as deliberate absenteeism by Ipelegeng workers.

“We have also realised that supervisors are rarely on site. As a way of addressing the problem we have embarked on community meetings as a way of mitigating these challenges,” he said. ENDS