12 Nov 2020

Member of Parliament for Tonota, Mr Pono Moatlhodi has pleaded with government to consider establishing pension retirement fund for councillors.

Contributing to the State-of-the- Nation Address, Mr Moatlhodi said ward councillors played a pivotal role in coordinating and articulating inter-sectoral interventions in their communities for socio-economic upliftment.

He said their dynamic participation in local governance was a known fact that could not be overemphasised since they had been key to many project successes at local government level.

Councillors, he said, had also shown the potential for creating conditions and mechanisms suitable for implementation of sustainable control strategies.

Mr Moatlhodi, however, noted that a lot of councillors retired to destitution at the end of their terms despite their immense contribution to their communities.

He said it was heartbreaking that former councillors who had served their wards with so much prestige during their incumbency ended up being enrolled on government social welfare programmes.

The Tonota legislature thus pleaded with the relevant ministerial portfolio to consider establishing a retirement pension scheme for councillors to maintain their societal standard even upon their end of term.

Further, Mr Moatlhodi applauded President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi for commending the role of Bogosi in his address.

He said Dikgosi had over the years played an active role in building the country and the national moral fibre, hence it was important to consider improving their welfare and uplift  their status.

He highlighted that it was pleasing that government continued to recognise the importance of dikgosi in the society and had vowed to strive to maintain a platform where they could discuss the issue of national interest with government.

Mr Moatlhodi also applauded government efforts in improving the state of customary courts and kgotla offices, noting that it is was disturbing that the pride and poise of the kgotla setup and bogosi had diminished over the years due to the dreadful conditions that dikgosi were working under.

About his constituency, Mr Moatlhodi applauded government for the approval of the construction of Semotswane-Shashe West road.  

Though he said the road construction was a welcomed development, he urged the ministry responsible to negotiate, in good faith, relocation rates with the affected community who were to make way for the road construction.

He also decried the dilapidated status of and understaffing at  Lesedi Clinic, which served as a major clinic in Tonota, and implored government to deliver on its long promise of the construction of Tonota primary hospital.

Also contributing to the debate, specially elected MP, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila stated that government would always strive to empower Batswana by reforming land tenure policies.

Mr Mzwinila, who is also the Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, said government was also embarking on a land management reform agenda that aimed to transform the land sector with particular emphasis on speedy and efficient land allocation.

The reforms, which are expected to be completed by April 2021, he said, would clear the land allocation backlog that the country was currently faced with. ENDS