He dismissed allegations by some people that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)-led FCC is failing the masses. “I will agree with such assertion if the funds were there and FCC was simply failing to initiate. As it is now, all government sponsored projects have been frozen because there are no funds to pursue them.” Molapise, a former city mayor said even the district councils are affected and this proves that the parent ministry - Local Government is failing civic authorities. “As it is now, all the councils are crying. Actually, what is happening in Botswana happened elsewhere in Africa.”
He said that unfortunately, central government is in a financial crisis and it follows automatically that local authorities are in trouble also. Already, he said, the estimates for 2006/07 show that FCC has been granted P79 million for recurrent budget. “These funds are not enough to run the council business on day-to-day basis. It is very important to change government now because what is going on are sure signs of a government failing its people.”
He said that after 39 years in power, the BDP government is already showing signs of stress. He said there should be a change of government now before it is too late. He called for councils to get the necessary autonomy so that they can generate their own income. He pointed out that bureaucratic red tape is not helping at all.
Another opposition coucillor, Alec Tabengwa of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) pointed out that projects are currently stalled because there are no funds.
He is worried that the stalled projects are mostly in the low-income locations. “You can go around and you will be shocked to find our children swinging from improvised swings unlike their age mates in the middle and high income locations where recreational facilities are provided for them. Why this imbalance? The life of residents here is made difficult deliberately by the attitude of some service providers. When people want to electrify their homes, they are told to group themselves before they can get electricity. Why this discrimination after all?” Like Molapise, he remarked that some of the goings on reflects that the current government is failing people, “and must go”.
In 1997, he said the FCC councillors were shown a site for the construction of a modern stadium. “We were told that even funds for the construction of the stadium were readily available. FCC was long informed about the infrastructural development that has long stalled.” He is worried by the council’s tendency to spend a lot of money on consultants while it has employed many experts. He said it is shocking that technocrats are employed mainly to supervise consultants.
BDP councillor for Monarch East, Wilfred Masima told Mmegi that developments are done when funds are available. On the stalled FCC infrastructural project, Masima indicated that initially, the council was given P10 million for the first phase - to develop the whole low-income estate of Monarch. On a positive note, he said, P88 million has been availed for the infrastructural development.
Former BDP councillor for Monarch South, Laedza Maguswi who during her tenure presented the issue at various full council meetings blamed the central government for moving slowly to ensure service delivery. “FCC has always shown a willingness to see Monarch developed, the unfortunate thing is that nothing could be done without the necessary funds. Imagine, the FCC submitted a request for P67 million for the whole infrastructural development. When an answer came, we were only given P15 million,” Maguswi pointed out.
City mayor Ignatius Moswaane downplayed the extent of stalled projects. “What I know is that master sewerage plan has been completed in Block-One and the rest of the outstanding bit will be completed at a later stage. About 90 percent of this project has been completed,” said Moswaane. He indicated that the government is doing a lot as currently the long awaited Monarch infrastructural development is at tendering stage and will start soon. Already the mayor has scheduled meetings to meet with Monarch residents on November 8 and 10.
