22 Apr 2024

Some North West District councillors have expressed discontentment over lack of consultation by Members of Parliament (MPs) when making decisions regarding approved Constituency Community Projects (CCP) for financial year 2024/2025 in their areas. 

Councillors were not happy to learn that some approved projects had been suspended from the list submitted following a savingram from the ministry of Local Government and Rural Development which requested councils to adjust their project memorandum. 

The savingram indicated that administration of CCP for financial year 2024/2025 should be implemented with adherence to the existing 57 constituencies instead of 61 as earlier indicated. 

However, while they appreciated the savingram, councillors aired their concerns during a special full council meeting on Friday that they could have been consulted by the concerned MPs before any decisions could be made on which projects to be dropped from the list. 

They learnt that the project memorandum requested funding to the tune of P23, 4 million from implementation of CCP in the three constituencies of Ngami, Maun West and Maun East of which 11 project would be implemented. Cllr Kobamelo Baikgodisi of Matlapana expressed disappointment to learn that pavement of internal roads in his ward had been suspended saying the community were eyeing the envisaged project as they had long complained about bad state of internal roads. 

He said Maun East area MP, could have engaged him first to appreciate reasons why the project was suspended so that he could inform the community. Cllr Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho of Khwai/Mababe also shared the same sentiments saying it seemed their input was not important as councillors arguing that there was no reason to present CCP for their approval in council. 

“Our MPs are failing because they made decisions on their own. They should understand that they are not working in isolation hence they should engage us as community representatives in the local authority so that we appreciate reasons why project were left out,” he added. 

Cllr Moetetsi Mogalakwe of Makalamabedi also expressed displeasure saying it seemed MPs focused much on major villages while developmental projects were lacking behind in small villages. 

Since inception of the programme, he said, big villages had benefited more and wished MPs could take their concerns into consideration going forward when allocating CCP funding. 

Earlier, Senior Economic Planner, Ms Malebogo Magano, informed the house that in Maun West, four projects under four wards in Maun would be implemented. 

The projects, she said, include paving of roads in Moeti, Senonnori, Botshabelo and Bombadi wards in Maun. 

She said for Moeti ward it would be a 300m paving linking Moeti Junior Secondary School to Letsholathebe II main road adding that the pavement shall ease the accessibility of the school from the main road while Senonnori would be paved for 700m from primary school reaching the high density area of Senonnori. 

The house was informed that for Botshabelo ward it would be 500m pavement from a local milling company to the main road while Bomabdi ward would be paved 600m from a connecting road to Shashe Primary School. 

Other projects to implemented included paving of 700m Matshwane ward road linking Kubung Primary School to the main road, paving of 800m road network in Chanoga from the main road (A3) to the kgotla as well as the construction of the storm water drainage in Riverside ward. 

Furthermore, Ms Magano said three projects would be implemented under Ngami constituency citing that Sehithwa required paving of 500m to cater for the completion of the road from clinic to primary school among others. ENDS