16 Sep 2022

The upgrading of all Botswana’s 22 sub-districts and administrative authorities will cost government about P63 million.

 Phase one of the exercise, announced Wednesday, would require half of that amount, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Mr Kgotla Autlwetse.

Speaking in an interview yesterday,  he said phase one involved the establishment of eleven new districts at Goodhope, Molepolole, Mogoditshane, Letlhakeng, Mahalapye, Tutume, Boteti, Maun, Okavango, Tsabong and Hukuntsi.

Mr Autlwetse said the ministry expected to complete implementation of the eleven districts before the end of the current financial year.

The earliest the districts would be set up by October or November, he said.

“The remaining eleven will be included under the next financial year from April next year,” he said.

 Mr Autlwetse said naming of the new districts would be done after consultations with communities.   

   He said the upgrading of sub-districts to fully fledged entities did not infringe on tribal territories.

The  development resulted in some tribal territories having more than one district council.

Saying the scenario was not new, Mr Autlwetse pointed out that town councils had long existed alongside their district counterparts.

He said the decision to upgrade sub-districts was meant to bring services closer to communities and reduce time taken to make and implement decisions.

It was also a cost containment measure as councillors and public officers would no longer have to attend both sub-council and full council sessions, he said.

The minister said the decision was preceded by extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders and community leadership and won their approval.

Mr Autlwetse said the new districts would be aligned to the designated sub-districts boundaries while all government departments such as district commissioners’ offices and council secretariat, would be expected to align to the district level structure.

He also clarified that new districts would use the existing structures used by sub-districts.

The minister said after completing phase two of the project, which entailed upgrading the remaining eleven sub-districts, the ministry would upgrade service centers to sub-district level and eventually upgrade them to fully fledged districts.

“If the economy was allowing, we would do away with sub-districts,” he said. Ends