25 Aug 2021

Jwaneng town councillors have decried the tendency by some civil servants, especially central government heads of department who do not attend full council sessions. One of the councillors, Mr Mokganedi Morwaagae of Masaasele ward said Tuesday, the heads’ absence made it difficult for the councillors’ concerns to be addressed adequately. 

He said in most cases, they only knew the officer’s name, and not their face especially when it came to issues concerning various government departments that needed to be responded to. “Civil servants are not always readily available to members of the community unlike councillors. 

We are a link between the two and it would be embarrassing and detracting to councillors to indicate his lack of knowledge of issues when the public asks,” he said. 

Town Mayor Ms Olga Ditsie also shared councillor Morwaagae’s concerns, but said the absence may be because councils were now mostly held virtually, which may discriminate officers who had no internet connectivity. She said before going virtual, attendance by officers was not a concern. 

Ms Ditsie also suggested that central government heads should be added to the existing consultative forum WhatsApp group that the council staff used for ease of communication. “This can lead to issues being sorted more efficiently and faster without having to wait for council forums,” she said. 

Jwaneng Deputy District Commissioner, Mr Odiseng Moruti also said the issue was discussed in the last meeting of heads of departments, and promised to follow it up. He said using modern communication applications like WhatsApp could be efficient as it would also help on coordinating departments. 

He said the councillors’ concerns were justified in that specific issues about each department could only be adequately addressed by heads of department, while the office of the deputy district commissioner could only respond to general issues of policy. ENDS