17 Mar 2014

Since its establishment in 1965, the Kgalagadi District Council (KgDC) has delivered services to the people with dedication and resilience.

While there were challenges in the process, the council was able to serve the people of Kgalagadi diligently, in the process delivering key milestones that are a cause for celebration.

This was said by various speakers, including councilors; at the KgDC open day celebrations, which were held under the theme: “Kgalagadi District, our commitment, our pledge, our pleasure. Towards attaining Vision 2016.”

Speaking at the event, Hukuntsi sub-District Chairman Mr Milton Moseru said KgDC has grown from a small two roomed structure at inception to a large enterprise that is now housed in a modern day structure. Mr Moseru, who was first voted into council in 1989, said in the beginning people in Hukuntsi struggled to access services because most of the resources and personnel were based in Tsabong.

He revealed that the first KgDc sitting was convened at Tsabong Primary School with only 10 councilors, most of who were by then not conversant with council procedures and regulations. “But we soldiered on, and today we have 26 councilors who are tasked with steering the KgDC ship towards better service delivery,” he said.

He further revealed that the KgDC has managed to deliver 88 destitute houses during the 2012/13 financial year, despite the district’s vastness and challenging terrain. Mr Moseru said the KgDC managed to deliver the destitute houses on time and within budget even though it purchases most materials from as far as Gaborone and Lobatse.

Deputy Council Chairman Mr Ido Leshope revealed that the KgDC has 10 RADP settlements, eight of which are in Kgalagadi North while the other two, Kokotsha and Khawa, are in Kgalagadi South.

He said residents of these settlements have embraced poverty eradication programs to such an extent that a special waiver was established to increase intake of Ipelegeng workers in their areas.

He said Ipelegeng beneficiaries in the area have reported back that they put their earnings to good use like buying livestock.

However, KgDC still faces a number of challenges, chief among them poor communication.

Mr Leshope said unlike Kokotsha, which is the only RADS that has all the network services available, other settlements have no electricity and no cellphone network coverage.

“The KgDC has managed to send some students to tertiary institutions such as Kang brigades and Limkokwing. We have revived six cooperative societies and we have pledged to pay all our guest performing artists an appearance fee of P3 000”. ENDS