11 Jun 2020

The new Ipelegeng programme, which is the COVID-19 response plan budget for Serowe Sub- District Council has been reduced from P27m to P20m for the 2020/2021 financial year. The cut is a result of COVID-19.

Serowe Administrative Authority (SAA), Ipelegeng coordinator, Mr Otisisitswe Keatholetswe informed the sub-district council meeting in Serowe on June 10 that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development suspended Ipelegeng programme as one of the cost cutting measures.

He said project memorandum that was previously presented to the sub-council for financial year 2020/21 had been changed and redirected as COVID-19 response plan.

Initially, the sub-district was to implement 108 projects in 14 villages.

Councillors were informed that the Ipelegeng funds for 2020/21 should be utilised to engage additional cleaners in various public primary and secondary schools and cooks at primary schools.

He said the funds would also to be used to engage green scorpions, to enforce COVID-19 protocols at the villages as well as procure personal protective equipment for cleaners and scorpions.

Mr Keatholetswe noted that for the recent previous years, the quota for Ipelegeng was 3 006 beneficiaries, engaged on monthly basis.

This translated to 36 072 beneficiaries in a year but the figure had gone down due to COVID-19 and was now 808 school cleaners rotating every five months.

Mr Keatholetswe further noted that 143 primary school cooks would be engaged and would rotate after 10 months and another 213 COVID-19 scorpions on a contract of 10 months.

He mentioned that sustenance initiative or providing beneficiaries with food, was stopped June 9. Ends