04 Feb 2021

The MP for Tonota, Mr Pono Moatlhodi says urban councils should be encouraged to generate funds rather than depend only on the Revenue Support Grant from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

Debating the 2021/22 budget proposals on Wednesday, the Tonota legislator said councils should set up different levies such as car park levies in order to have funds.

He, however, said it could not be replicated in district councils as residents were mostly retirees and the unemployed. He added that it would be cumbersome if they were charged additional levies.

Mr Moatlhodi further called for allowances for Village Development Committee (VDC) members, saying they were no longer performing part-time duties as they had to attend to community issues everyday.

He said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development should be adequately funded. He added that it deserved the second largest budget as it funded primary education and village internal roads. He also requested the minister to increase old age pension to P1 500 per month.

The Tonota MP welcomed the budget allocated to the Ministry of Basic Education. He appealed to the ministry to rescue his constituents, saying classes were held outside due to shortage of classrooms.

He further called upon the ministry to provide teachers with decent accommodation, saying the situation in all schools in his constituency was ‘ugly.’
MP Moatlhodi urged the minister to construct another primary school at Shashe-Mooke, saying the current school had 1 100 pupils and that it was too strenous for teachers.

Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr Thapelo Matsheka in his budget proposal said government would employ 1 751 additional teachers across the country in order to align schools with the COVID-19 regulation of social distancing.

MP Moatlhodi welcomed the development and suggested that the current list should be used as some people had been unemployed for many years after earning their teaching qualifications. He also said Parents Teacher Association (PTA) members should be paid allowances.

Mr Moatlhodi also urged the Minister of Finance and Economic Development to assist soldiers, saying retired Botswana Defence Force members were languishing in poverty and relying on government food baskets.

He said it was disheartening that at the end of their service, they earned a paltry P400 per month as pension.

The MP commended members of the BDF scuba diving team for the good job they did in rescuing people from floods and recovering the bodies of those who drowned.

He called for the promotion of Warrant Officer Nyame and Warrant Officer Class II Morapedi for the service they provide to the country.

On other issues, MP Moatlhodi said the construction of Tonota Primary Hospital was long overdue.

He also said whoever was tasked with the duty of right sizing the public service should be sober and impartial.

However, he said he did not understand how the vacant posts were connected to the wage bill as the salaries were not paid.

Furthermore, he called upon the finance minister to review the GEMVAS rates and peg them at 40 per cent as was the case with politicians in order to enable public officers to access loans.

MP Moatlhodi also decried the poor state of development in his constituency, saying Tonota West did not have water although Shashe Dam never ran dry.

He, however, said he was happy that Shashe-Mooke had finally been provided with portable water.

MP Moatlhodi said Foley Primary School needed a new kitchen, five additional classrooms and an administration block.

He also said an agriculture school should be opened in his constituency. ENDS