08 Dec 2019

 The newly elected North West District Council (NWDC) chairperson, Mr Kebadiretse Ntsogotlho, has urged councillors and the council administration to work as a team in order to improve communities in the area.

The Khwai/Mababe councillor told a recent council meeting that they needed a strong team with unshakable commitment and zeal to serve the community with humility, professionalism, loyalty and focus.

He thanked councillors for entrusting him with an enormous responsibility and stated that he could only achieve it through their support.

“We can only manage to execute our mandate well if we work as a unit for the betterment of our people. We may have political differences, but what matters most is our collective responsibility to the community of our district,” he added.

Mr Ntsogotlho appealed to fellow councillors not to allow their political differences to impact negatively on service delivery.

In addition, he said, they needed to be cognizant of the fact that they were leading an educated community, saying gone were the days where politicians used to take the electorate for granted.

Mr Ntsogotlho emphasised the importance of reading and doing some research to keep abreast with the latest developments in order to address the communities’ concerns and deliver on their election promises.

He cited some district challenges such as water shortage, issues of safari employees, pupils travelling long distances to school and lack of space for young people to venture into businesses.

Cllr Ntsogotlho said the council needed to respond positively to the challenges, pointing out that Maun was a tourism hub, hence the need to think outside the box and strive to make the village more attractive.

Mr Ntsogotlho would be deputised by Councillor Lekonne Masoko of Shashe ward, both from the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).

They each garnered 29 votes against 18 of Mr Bareetsi Bogaisang and Mr Moetetsi Mogalakwe of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) respectively.

Meanwhile, Okavango Sub-district councillors elected Councillor Mpote Karapo of Tubu ward as chairperson and Councillor Lelejwang Sokwe of Qangwa / Xaxa as his deputy.

The sub-council is made up of 18 councillors, of which nine are from UDC and nine from BDP.

Mr Karapo of UDC got 12 votes against six of Mr Lesedi Boy of BDP, while the deputy council chairperson, Mr Sokwe was endorsed by all.

Maun Administrative Authority councillors entrusted former vice chairperson, Mr Vepaune Moreti with the responsibility to lead them.

He would be assisted by Mr Petrus Tjetjoo.

 Both candidates from UDC defeated their BDP opponents by 19 votes against nine. ENDS