22 May 2025

Due to budgetary constraints, the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs is constrained to address office shortage and lack of toilets at some of the tribal administration offices.

As such, employees would continue to work under great discomfort and sacrifice, says the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Ms Gabatlotlane Mogapi.

Ms Mogapi, who is the ministry’s Accounting Officer said before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday said that some tribal administration offices operated from small offices, resulting in shortage of office space and ablution blocks.

However, she said the problem was not peculiar to any community, district or location but was spread across the country, adding that the challenge was exasperated by the country’s economy which was not doing well.

She said despite the ministry being aware of the challenge, they are not budgeted for due to shortage of funds.

As such, she said councils were in some instances forced to use funds from the constituency community projects to address maintenance issues, a response that did not go well with PAC member and Serowe South Member of Parliament, Mr Leepetswe Lesedi, who criticised local authorities for using the funds for what they were not intended for.

Mr Lesedi said shortage of toilets at the tribal administration offices affected mostly the marginalised communities, which he said could seem to be an effort to further sideline such communities.

However, Ms Mogapi said the constituency community projects were only released with the approval of the area MP and further said shortage of offices and toilets affected communities across the country.

Gamalete MP, Mr Boniface Mabeo expressed concern over the welfare of headmen of record across the country and called on the ministry to address the concerns.

He said there were grievances over employment issues at the ministry, and asked the accounting officer to clarify, to which Ms Mogapi conceded that there were queries relating to employment in the ministry.

Regarding the transfer of clinics from the ministry of health, she said currently, local authorities across the country were assessing the status of all health care facilities and ambulances.

"We are not happy with their conditions," she responded after PAC chairperson, Mr Taolo Lucas asked if she was satisfied and happy about the status of the ambulances they received. ENDS