05 May 2021

Speakers at a decentralisation consultative meeting by Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development have pledged their support towards developments that may be implemented in 2022.

Speakers said upgrading sub-districts into fully fledged districts would enhance service delivery to the constituents.

Assistant Minister Kgotla Autlwetse told the meeting that divisions of the country into manageable administrative entities would empower local governments through devolution.

Mr Autlwetse said there had been some piecemeal approach to decentralisation, which led to ineffective participation of locals in development of their areas and breeding poor service delivery, inter alia.

At the moment, Assistant Minister Autlwetse said there was ineffective council planning, unclear positioning of dikgosi and inadequate council empowerment amongst a plethora of deficiencies.

Since Botswana had transformed since independence, the need to address the deficiencies through decentralization was always a need. 

Bobonong MP, Mr Taolo Lucas and dikgosi from across the constituency spoke in unison in support of the proposed decentralisation.

Mr Lucas said the current situation of many sub-districts was counterproductive. 

Hesaid when declared a district, Bobirwa would prioritise needs of the area unlike in the current form where such needs competed with others from across Central District.

Mr Lucas also called on the review of Bogosi Act saying the issue needed to be treated with the seriousness it deserved. Mr Lucas called for for holistic review of the constitution.

“It is imperative to emphasise that constitutional review is a need right now,” said Mr Lucas.

The area MP said many decisions either dragged for long or never had solutions because of the tedious processes and long routes of reporting in Serowe, the CDC headquarters.

He called for empowerment of the districts when finally decentralised so that they would not simply exist by name, but implement policies as agreed.

If put into action, decentralization would see Bobirwa District fostering partnerships with wealthy farmers in the Tuli area to propel the area’s development agenda, Mr Lucas said.

The area MP said where there was lack of implementation of government programmes and policies resultant consequences should be meted on the failing parties.For his part, Bobirwa Sub-district Council chairperson, Mr Christopher Motsholapheko, said decentralisation, when properly implemented, would save government some funds. 

He fsaid there were frequent movements from sub-districts to district offices and ministries to seek approval of some decisions, a matter he said could have been done at sub-district level when finally upgraded.

Kgosi Letso Malema of Molalatau was full of praise for the process deemed ‘long overdue.’

“We welcome this decentralization and we look forward its implementation as Babirwa,” said Kgosi Malema.

He too found that government was losing funds in the current arrangement which he said had many loopholes that bred corruption along the way due to the tediousness involved. ends