13 Dec 2023

There are 32 District Road Safety Committees in different villages across the country.

Minister of Transport and Public Works Mr Eric Molale informed  Parliament that the committees were established under the guidance of the Road Traffic Act Cap 69:01 and the National Road Safety Committee regulations.

He said the District Road Safety Committees were in Gaborone, Molepolole, Tlokweng, Mochudi, Ramotswa, Letlhakeng, Mogoditshane, Palapye, Mahalapye, Serowe, Letlhakane, Francistown, Masunga, Tonota, Sowa, Selebi Phikwe, Bobonomg, Kasane, Tutume, Maun, Shakawe, Gumare, Charleshill, Ghanzi, Lobatse, Kang, Tsabong, Jwaneng, Mabutsane, Moshupa, Kanye and Good Hope.

Road Safety members were selected as per the Road Traffic Act Cap 69:01, he said , adding that the District Road Safety Committees were established under Regulations 11 to 13 under Part III of the Road Safety Committee Regulations of 2017, which were amended in 2018.

He said the regulations stated that the District Road Safety Committee shall be subordinate to the National Road Safety Committee.

He said according to the Road Safety Committee (Amendment) Regulations 2018, a District Road Safety Committee might from time to time co-opt any person whose advice or other assistance it required. He explained that the secretary of the District Road Safety Committee was the Department of Road Transport Services station manager and where there was no Department of Road Transport Services office, the chairperson could appoint a secretary amongst members.

“As outlined in Regulations 13 read together with Regulation 10, every member of the District Road Safety Committee, other than a government officer, shall be paid from the public revenue amount of P6 per meeting and his travel expenses shall be covered according to the rules applied to government officers. We acknowledge that these allowances are low and that they should have been revised in April 2017,” he said.

Mr Molale said his ministry would comply with the Presidential Directive CAB 5 (B) 2017 of 16 March 2017 on the payment of allowances to members of various statutory and non-statutory boards, councils and committee with effect from April 1, 2024.

“If there are any who never received their sitting allowance they should come forward and claim their dues from the District Commissioner offices and Department of Road Transport Services,” he said.

Selebi-Phikwe East MP, Mr Kgoberego Nkawana had wanted to know the number of Road Safety Committees around the country and the criteria used to select committee members.

Mr Nkawana also wanted to know if committee members were given a sitting allowance and if so how much and if there were committee members that were never paid a sitting allowance. ends