SPTC owed P4.5 million in arrears
CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent
SELEBI-PHIKWE: The Selebi-Phikwe Town Council (SPTC) is owed P4.5 Million in arrears for property rates and service levy, the mayor Lekang Mukokomani said over the weekend.
Speaking during the mayor's ball Mukokomani stated that the council has decided to publicise the names of defaulters in the media to force them to pay up. He said the high level of non-payment has forced the council to abandon some projects. "The council has been through a tough year of economic melt-down, unemployment, poverty, environmental degradation, drought, poor standard of living, HIV/AIDS, poor implementation of projects, failure to effectively deal with financial issues and failure to provide books and stationery to schools," he said.
Mukokomani stated that the Ministry of Local Government has given the council P97 million instead of the P108 million its needs. He said that the council has been procuring goods from local suppliers and producers to promote the town's diversification efforts from dependence on mining. The mayor pointed out that the Selebi-Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU) has been playing a crucial role in enhancing the image of the town and the region.
Mukokomani announced that the mayor's fund has been established in Selebi-Phikwe to help the disadvantaged members of the community. He stated that the ultimate goal of the fund is to achieve Vision 2016 goal of a Compassionate, Just and Caring nation.
"The fund is aimed at helping to tackle socio-economic problems besieging our community and uplift the standard of living," he said.
The town clerk, Kutlwano Matenge explained to the gathering that the event could not be held in December because Mukokomani was still new in office and was still familiarising himself with the operations of the council. He said the aim of the ball is for the mayor to recognise the support that the council got from different stakeholders.
