23 Mar 2014

Government has been requested to increase the village development committees (VDC) and ward development committees (WDC) allowances to the equivalent of the minimum amount paid to Ipelegeng supervisors per month.

Presenting the motion to Parliament on Friday, March 21 the MP for Kanye North, Mr Kentse Rammidi said the contribution of the committees to community developments could not be ignored.

He said since the inception of the committees through a presidential directive of 1968 and now recognised by the local government act, they have been a pillar of community participation in the country’s democracy.

The legislator said apart from taking part in formulation of District Development Plans (DDPs) and National Development Plans (NDPs), the committees were central in organising kgotla meetings for various activities.

Furthermore, he said they were instrumental in guiding and assisting social welfare officers in their work and they identified people who needed all forms of assistance.

He said this required long hours of work in organising national celebrations and the VDC members’ active participation is no longer restricted to one committee meeting per month.

Mr Rammidi said communities and leadership placed a heavy burden on them although they were volunteers, adding that communities raised eyebrows when the committee members got engaged in Ipelegeng or government programmes.

The legislator noted that they were often accused of using their positions to benefit themselves at the expense of the communities and they are expected to be involved in community projects so that they can provide accountability.

He said the government should compensate them for the time they spend driving the community work and said an increased allowance can encourage community participation of youth. ENDS