21 May 2025

Cordial working relations can unlock full potential of local authorities to deliver quality services to citizens.

As such, Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Mr Ketlhalefile Motshegwa called for strengthening of relationships between the political leadership and executive leadership of local authorities, which was crucial for effective service delivery.

Mr Motshegwa said this at a forum for council chairpersons and mayors, which was also attended by local authorities and administrative leadership in Gaborone on Tuesday.

 “The underlying principle is that we must build teams. We must dialogue about issues and resolve them, it is part of leadership,” he said. 

He said relationships based on trust was possible where there was transparency, adding that best policies and resources would not deliver envisaged outcomes without good relationships.

 He said government was dedicated to improving the lives of people; hence a strong, responsive, and efficient local government system was crucial to achieving the vision. 

He further said the landscape of local governance was dynamic, and called on local authorities to examine service delivery methods, recognising strengths and obstacles to progress.

To achieve Vision 2036 aspirations, the minister said government had defined six strategic priorities of improving customer service delivery, creating opportunities for youth employment, revamping the education sector, reforming the health sector, enhancing income tax collection and improving the public procurement system to guide transformative initiatives aimed at improving service delivery.

Also, he said the global economic environment was complex, and urged local authorities to develop and implement robust strategies aimed at economic diversification at the local level to attract new industries, promote local entrepreneurship, and create employment within their jurisdictions.

Further, he said the ministry was developing informal sector bye-laws to regulate and manage informal sector activities within specific local authority jurisdictions, balancing support for livelihoods and economic activity with the need for job creation, poverty reduction, and economic growth.

Also, he said significant progress had been made in amending Village Development Committees regulations and guidelines, and was undertaking a significant review of Community Constituency Programme guidelines to enhance their impact on human, social, and economic development.

As regard to Ipelegeng, he said the programme was undergoing a significant expansion to strategically incorporate training in the agriculture and tourism sectors. 

“This expansion will provide targeted skills development in key areas within these sectors,” he said.

In addition, he said the ministry was working toward expanding the reach and increasing the value of the old age pension, which demonstrated a commitment to the well-being of older citizens. Earlier, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ms Gabatlotlane Mogapi told the forum that top of the ministry agenda was decentralisation, which would empower local authorities to govern better.

She said local authorities derived their authorities from the Local Government Act and people expected them to fulfil their mandates. 

She encouraged leadership to be receptive to being scrutinised, saying such came from being at the forefront of service delivery. ENDS