Kgatleng council in financial distress
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday September 27, 2021 06:00
The situation has prompted the council to engage central government departments housed in the Rural Administration Centre (RAC) to share costs on utilities (water and electricity). Addressing councillors this week, Molokwe said the arrangement will help the council to deliver on some of its projects since budgetary constraints have a negative impact.
“The situation is being further exacerbated by our inability to raise our Own Revenue Source (ORS) that otherwise we are to generate to augment the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) from government.
To that effect, the council leadership has caused action on Revenue Maximisation strategies as well as containment of costs so as to generate the much-needed revenue for the council,” Molokwe said.
He said so far, the council has managed to collect P1,749,466.73 against a target of P3,408,427.08, which translates into approximately 51%. The council chairperson also said this clearly shows that some of the activities that they had planned to do within this financial year will be affected as they depend on this income to drive the council mandate.
He continued: “We are going to be forced to make use of what we have at our disposal and put stringent measures to deliver on our mandate in a cost-effective manner. With regard to expenditure, fifth-month expenditure stood at P62,761,993.02 against a target of P65,843,891.25 which translates to approximately 95%. I would urge that we identify and re-engineer processes which have unnecessary cost implications as efforts to reduce spending and eliminate unnecessary expenditures.”
Meanwhile, on the issue of by-election for Boseja ward, Molokwe said whilst awaiting the lifting of the suspension of elections, the election management body, being the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) regional office in Mochudi in conjunction with departments in the district, are continuing with the administrative preparatory processes.
“A list of 108 polling staff will be required to conduct the by-election and is in place.
A budget amounting to P320,000 will be needed to conduct this election and a request has been submitted for disbursement of funds.
Transport logistics have been made and a total of 22 vehicles will be required. In all elections, security provision is always necessary hence a total of 22 police officers have been listed to be deployed at polling stations and counting centre,” he said.
He assured councillors that the IEC has prepared guidelines on the conduct of by-elections during the COVID-19 pandemic that will be put in place as a control measure for the combat and spread of the virus during elections.
He added that the guidelines outline additional staff being SHE officers, queue marshals, cleaners, help desk officers and temperature check officers to be deployed in all the five polling stations and counting center. “I am pleased to inform the House that procurement of all COVID-19 equipment and supplies required is underway.
Let me inform this honorable House that Radikolo Junior Secondary School will serve as nomination and counting centre as was the case during the last general election,” he said.