01 Dec 2020

 Mayor of Gaborone, Mr Father Maphongo, has implored council committees’ chairpersons to deliver.

 Addressing Gaborone City Council (GCC) full council meeting on November 30, Mr Maphongo said it was imperative that committees embark on a process to identify control, operational and reputational risks to ensure that they were assigned appropriate mitigation measures.  

 Mr Maphongo noted that it was the responsibility of all committee members to rally behind their chairpersons and support them so that they execute their duties with distinction.

 “I have received not so pleasing reports from some council committees where inordinate delays are experienced. This has impacted negatively on the budget as funds allocated for sitting allowances and claims are getting depleted because of these inefficiencies experienced from some committees,” he said.

 He emphasised that those committees should deliver on their mandate and refrain from acting out of ignorance and exhibiting mannerism or actions which were tantamount to harassment or bullying of the administrative staff.

 The mayor said councillors should note that GCC could not exist without committees and could not realise its ultimate purpose of empowering the community.

 He also informed them that the Local Economic Development Committee, which was appointed in the previous council session had assumed its assignment with unparalleled vigor and remarkable speed.

 Mr Maphongo said they were enjoying technical support from the District Economic Development Committee and were in the process of formulating the local economic development strategy for the City.

 He highlighted that the conduct of the local economy assessment, which would be done in consultation with the community would be completed before the end of the current financial year.

 The mayor stated that it had become a planning imperative that when the council consolidated the priorities for financial year 2021/2022, it ought to be taken into consideration.

 Regarding corruption, he said it was common that corruption invariably resulted in interruption of development processes, inequitable distribution of resources and proliferation of economic deprivation.

 He said pervasive corruption disproportionately affected vulnerable members of the society in that it discouraged investment, weakened economic growth and undermined the rule of law hence it was important for leaders to avoid compromising efforts to address the breaches of corporate governance in all its manifestations. ends