04 Jun 2023

Council employees that will not be absorbed in the process of turning sub-councils into fully fledged councils will be redeployed to other service centres, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Kgotla Autlwetse, has said.

Giving an update on the progress of transforming 22 sub-councils into councils during a kgotla meeting in Ghanzi recently, Mr Autlwetse said the process was nearing completion.

He explained that the transition, which he said would cost over P63 million, would not result in vacant positions or new job opportunities. 

Instead, it is anticipated that there would be excess personnel. 

Mr Autlwetse stated that even during the transition, the government recognised the importance of service centres as they brought services to communities that lived far from council headquarters.  Mr Autlwetse revealed that the transformation exercise would save government a lot of money, as it was costly to hold sub-council meetings and later full council meetings. Member of Parliament for Ghanzi North, Mr John Thiite, requested the minister to consider a budget allocation specifically for Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) settlements, saying servicing the settlements from the Ghanzi District Council’s purse had budgetary constraints.

Mr Thiite said since Ghanzi District Council had many RADP settlements, hence there was need to allocate it more funds He also called for the decentralisation policy to be brought before Parliament as the policy would empower councils.

Ghanzi District Council chairperson, Mr Jeremiah Tibi, suggested that other councils that border the CKGR, such as Letlhakeng and Boteti, should service some settlements in the park to relieve his council. ENDS