05 Mar 2020

The Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane, has called for monitoring and evaluation of Constituency Development Fund since some constituencies are yet to use the first P10 million allocated to them three years ago.

Debating the budget proposals for the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in Parliament on March 4, Mr Tsogwane implored the minister to come up with new guidelines because some constituencies did not know what to do with it.

The Vice President, also MP for Boteti West, said councils should be encouraged to collect their own revenue rather than depend entirely on government.

He said the Remote Area Dwellers Programme had to be strengthened.

Basubiya and Bayei have their dikgosi, therefore he called upon local government and rural development minister, Mr Eric Molale to accommodate them and ensure they also become members of Ntlo ya Dikgosi.

Meanwhile, he urged the minister to take action against dikgosi who had absconded from their duties.

Mr Tsogwane also stated that he agreed with the minister that some sub-districts especially those in Central District should be fully fledged districts.

Bobonong MP, Mr Taolo Lucas, said the local government ministry was not taken seriously and as such ‘it does not have dignity.’

He said the roles of councils should be enshrined in the Constitution, adding that the local authorities should be given powers to have their own sources of revenue.

MP Lucas called for decentralisation of services such as water, sanitation, primary health care and primary education.

He said the Central District should be divided and Bobirwa, Tswapong and Boteti should be independent districts in an effort to bring services closer to the people.

Talking about social services protection, he said they should be aligned to the cost of living.

MP for Thamaga-Kumakwane, Mr Palelo Motaosane said some sub-districts had been established in Kweneng, but they did not have sufficient human resource.

He further said Kweneng District was big and most populated hence Mogoditshane should be declared an independent administrative authority with Lentsweletau and Thamaga becoming sub districts.

However, MP Motaosane was concerned about the low funds allocated to councils, saying it was insufficient for them to carry out their objectives.

MP for Selebi Phikwe West, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse, said there should be executive councils where mayors and council chairmen would be directly elected.

He further concurred with his counterparts that certain services should be decentralized to ensure that developments reach the people.

MP Keorapetse said councils should have business entities that would allow them to venture into businesses and as such have their own income to develop their districts.

MP for Lentsweletau-Mmopane, Ms Nnaniki Makwinja praised the minister for coming up with several initiatives such as the Village Score Card and the review of the social protection programmes.

She said the Rural Development Policy should cover tourism and environment.

Gaborone Bonnington-North MP, Ms Anna Mokgethi said some areas in her constituency ‘do not have storm water drainage systems.’

Responding after the budget was approved, Minister Molale said he agreed that the Social Protection Programmes should be targeted as some people had benefited although they did not qualify and they did so at the exclusion of needy people.

The minister said Ipelegeng initially was not supposed to offer market rate wages, adding the scheme had been improved to now focus on more tangible projects.

He said while government was keen on empowering small and medium enterprises, their pricing was ridiculous when they tendered for government services.

Minister Molale also agreed on the need to decentralize some services, further calling on councils to collect rates. ENDS