30 Mar 2023

Government is committed to ensuring continuous engagement of stakeholders for a more informed and competent electorate as the country drives towards the 2024 General Elections. 

Addressing the city’s full council meeting recently, Francistown mayor, Mr Godisang Radisigo said the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had targeted outreach initiatives that included school visits, stakeholder workshops and meetings. 

He informed councillors that voter transfers were still on- going and the service was offered to those who, for valid reasons, desired to transfer their 2019 registration to a new place. 

“As such you are requested to assist IEC by cascading this information to the public so that they may benefit from this service,” said Mr Radisigo. 

He said as the country geared towards the 2024 General Elections, councillors had a duty to mobilize the public to register and vote in the upcoming elections. 

Mr Radisigo said it was only through working together that citizen participation in the electoral processes would increase. 

Regarding environmental health, the mayor said government had introduced circular economy initiative whereby local authorities were to ensure that only waste that could not be recycled was taken to landfills. 

He said circular economy was based on three principles which comprised eliminating waste and pollution, circulate products and materials including regenerating nature. 

Touching on other matters, Mr Radisigo said council held the informal sector implementation workshop mid-February this year in order to operationalise the strategy by identifying priorities to be implemented in the short term. 

“Although capacity was lacking, our council has kick-started implementation with opening of the informal sector unit at the bus rank,” he said, adding that the unit was still lacked capacity, but it was necessary to open it so that it could coordinate efforts going forward. 

Mr Radisigo said they were mobilising funding and support from stakeholders so that they could carry out capacity building for the informal sector. Ends