16 Oct 2023

Chobe District Council has approved a total recurrent budget of over P107 million for the financial year 2024/25.

Delivering the recurrent and development budget at a Special Full Council sitting in Kasane on Wednesday, the Finance and Works Committee Chairperson, Mr Baboloki Mpebe, stated that P99 717 928 was the government support grant while P7 731 812 was income from own sources.

Mr Mpebe said this year’s recurrent budget had experienced a 15.6 per cent increase from the previous one due to terminal benefits of councillors and personal emoluments for the anticipated increase in number of councillors by two.

He said salaries, wages and allowances were budgeted at P65 778 100, members’ allowances P3 281 660, councillors’ terminal benefits at P3 712 740 whereas maintenance of buildings would account for P 1 060 700.

He pleaded with the council to strengthen implementation of cost-saving measures and continue to develop cost-cutting strategies.

He asked Chobe residents to pay for services rendered to them by council, adding that it was paramount for council to collect all the expected revenue to augment the revenue support grant.

“We should come together and strengthen the implementation of existing revenue collection strategies and put in place new measures that will assist us to increase our revenue base,” Mr Mpebe said.

He requested the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to speed up implementation of the decentralisation policy in order to broaden revenue base for councils.

Reacting to the budget, Councillor for Kasane Central, Mr Chifu Munihango, concurred that implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy should be expedited as it would empower local authorities to seek investors to develop their districts and wean them off dependence on funding from the central government.

He said it was imperative for Chobe District to own land like other councils in the country which he said would drive partnerships with property development investors.

Specially Elected Councillor,, Mr Paul Chabaesele, said  Chobe District was the only region strategically sitting on the edge of three countries which he said positioned Chobe at a vantage point to attract investors and even do business abroad. ENDS