29 May 2022

Councilors have complained that Community - Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) commonly referred to as community trusts, side line them on daily operations and Annual General Meetings.

Speaking during the Maun Administrative Authority (MAA) Sub- Council sitting on Wednesday, Boro-Senonori councilor, Mr Kenson Kgaga stated that community trusts do not value councillors in that they made it a point not to inform them of scheduled meetings nor invite them to attend any events.

He asked the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for CBNRMs to include councillors in the committee because it was evident that community trusts were not interested in having councillors as ex-officio.

Bojanala Ward councilor, Mr Luke Motlaleselelo said he believed community trusts operated with a constitution that clearly defined that they should operate under scheduled meetings but that seemed not to be the case.

He said trusts had been turned into training grounds for campaigns of council seats adding that most of the trustees were political aspirants who felt threatened to invite the incumbent councillors.

TAC secretary, Mr Mogotsi Modise explained that it was unconstitutional for the board of trustees to side line councillors as they formed part of the CBNRM by virtue of being ex-officio just like dikgosi.

He said the role of councillors was clearly defined in the planning handbooks and stated that TAC would take the issue up with the board of trustees to rectify.

Mr Modise noted that TAC was an arm of government constituting of public servants from different departments, who offered guidance and monitoring of community trusts hence politicians could not form part of that.

He said councillors should attend board meetings like Dikgosi therefore, requested that they should liaise with dikgosi to facilitate the board to invite them and should that fail, TAC would intervene.

Mr Modise indicated that community trusts operated through guidelines that clearly stipulated that the trusts were not in any way a political party hence should refrain from political campaigns.

He acknowledged that some community trusts had in the past gone out of control due to political affiliation, to a point where ministers were called to intervene, something he said should never be condoned.Ends