21 Feb 2021

The Tutume Sub-district Council has set aside about P215 000 for water metre separation at a number of primary schools as well as for repairing leaks.

This emerged during the ongoing sub-council session where the chairman, Mr Anthony Chebani had disclosed that the organisation was incurring high water bills because some school metres were not separated from those of the teachers’ quarters.

As a result of the fault, which happened at construction, some teachers were not paying their individual water bills. 

This, he said, had drastically affected the  council’s expenditure as most of the budget went towards settling the high water bills.

Deputy sub-council chairman Mr Thatayone Kehitile said it had been resolved that some funds be set aside for addressing the water distribution challenge and acquiring new water meters for affected schools.

  Updating members on the council finances, Mr Chebani had said revenue grant support amounting to P131.1 million had been received.

   He said total expenditure as at end of January stood at P116.3 million against an approved budget of P135.1 million. 

The expenditure, he said, represented 86.1 per cent of the total budget.

He said the situation called for action and expressed confidence that the council would be able to make the changes needed.

On SHHA, Mr Chebani said the council had during the  2019/2020 financial year received about P1.1 million for the home improvement scheme which was used to fund 20 projects. 

He said 18 of them had been completed while one was at 95 per cent stage and the last had just started.

However, he said despite the achievements made on the programme, there were still loan repayments challenges. 

Mr Chebani therefore urged fellow councillors to encourage beneficiaries in their wards to repay the loans so that other Batswana could also be assisted in improving their shelter. ENDS