Tati West legislator fends off potential backlash
Joseph Balise | Monday June 19, 2023 06:00
Though government last year issued a directive to the effect that President Mokgweetsi Masisi had taken a decision that constituency fund money be used for construction, upgrade and maintenance of internal roads, the decision by Moabi to divert the funds to the construction of a link road appears to run against the gravamen of the directive.
Upon the announcement of the decision by the North East District Council (NEDC) that the MP had taken that solo decision on how the 2023-24 constituency fund was going to be used, many village leadership representatives expressed their displeasure at the decision.
Particularly , that against the norm, the decision was arbitrary, and not taken in consultation with the Tati West villages that are the rightful intended beneficiaries of the constituency fund.
To add salt to injury, the residents had not been forewarned that the parliamentarian, as the custody of the fund, had the last say on how the fund could be used. The council had also further directed the villages to submit their proposed projects that could be funded under the constituency fund. And out of the blue an announcement came that the MP, had in his own wisdom, taken the whole fund to finance the Mbalambi/Sekakangwe/Kalakamati road construction. Road construction experts note that the P10 million constituency fund is too small to finance an about 26-kilometre road. This piece of road needs a budget of no less than P100 million, a conservative estimate for that matter.
A number of displeased councillors also pointed out that link roads fall under the central government and as such finance for that project should have been sourced from the central government. It is also argued that the MP appears to have arrived at his decision in haste, and under pressure from whatever unknown source. A proper thinking on how to link these villages should have informed Moabi that to obtain maximum benefit of linking the villages, the construction of the road should have been to begin at Zwenshambe, from the tarred road to Masunga, going through Gungwe, Mbalambi, Sekakangwe and Kalakamati. Then there ought to have been another link, adjoining Mbalambi and Goshwe.
The main benefit of linking the Mbalambi and Goshwe villages would have been the huge cut of the distance from the North East District into the Tutume District. Addressing a kgotla meeting at Moroka village this week, Moabi gave a historical account of how the constituency fund came into being. He said the fund was created following an appeal by the Members of Parliament (MPs) to the President that there are always a number of emergencies in their constituencies that need financing since they do not fall within the ambit of approved projects. Moabi buttressed the fact that they MPs are the custodians of the fund and have as such been given the authority to ensure that the funds are directed to projects of an emergency nature. “We use the funds for emergencies.
Our informed view is that the road which is the subject matter of discontent, had become an emergency given its bad state, hence the decision,” said Moabi, dismissing the notion that he had created a motshelo out of the constituency fund. Moabi further explained that the constituency fund does not allocate money to each and every village like people have been made to believe or understand. “Ga se madi a a hiwang motse le motse (it is not money that is given to each village) and ga se madi a Village Development Committee (it is not VDC money),” said the parliamentarian, adding that the funds directed to the road project have not been directed to a motshelo.
An official from the NEDC also emphasized that the MP has the final say on how the constituency fund should be used. He stressed that there has been a wrong impression that each village has a share in the constituency fund. This is despite the fact that previously the villages, would through their different Village Development Committees (VDCs) be asked to submit projects for financing under the constituency fund. ‘Several villages in the constituency are able to point out to projects that have been financed under the constituency fund. Some villages have constructed state of the art kgotla shelters and offices from the constituency fund.’ In his address, Moroka VDC chairperson, Rodgers Mbulawa requested the MP to ensure that his village is made the next beneficiary in the 2024-25 financial year in the ‘motshelo’ line up.
Though Moabi has been frantic in the defence of his decision, a lot of residents are still unhappy, feeling hard done by the parliamentarian who took what in their view is an arbitrary decision, without first consulting them. Masukwani VDC chairperson, Thabang Moipolai in his forthright in the condemnation of the decision, especially that no prior consultation was done with the people. “This is an arbitrary decision by the MP. We are waiting for him to come around and explain to us how he reached the decision.
He was supposed to address a kgotla meeting here, but unfortunately it was postponed due to the presence of the water ministry permanent secretary’s tour of water projects in the Tati West constituency,” said Moipolai. Moipolai emphasizes that their Mosojane/Mulambakwena /Masukwani/Pole ward had already worked out modalities of how to use the funds upon release. According to Moipolai, a decision had already been taken that the money for the four villages would be used to finance development projects in the villages of Masukwani and Mulambakwena in the current financial year, while in the next financial year the allocation would go to Mosojane and Pole villages. “This is how we had agreed as a political ward,” said a disappointed Moipolai. He further explained that according to their plan, they were to pave a one kilometre stretch of road into the Masukwani village from the newly constructed Masunga/Tshesebe tarred road in the current financial year.
This in their view would have been in compliance with the government directive that the constituency funds be used for internal roads. Fibion Mphinyani of Jackalas No.1 village also feels that the MP was quite unfair to his constituents by taking such a big decision without prior consultation. According to Mphinyani, VDCs do not generally have strong sources of income and the constituency fund had become a blessing in closing the income revenue stream. But now that the villages have been deprived of this important revenue, most villages are not going to be able to undertake any major development projects, at least by VDC standards.
As for the explanation tendered by Moabi at the Jackalas No.1 village kgotla, Mphinyani dismisses it as “very unhelpful”. What is even more worrisome to Mphinyani is the fact that nobody is able to currently vouch on the long term sustenance of the fund. “What happens if the next financial budget doesn’t make any allocation for the constituency fund? All these villages which are not going to directly benefit from the road would have lost out significantly,” said Mphinyani. Mapoka village chairperson, Abel Thela is also not happy with the decision. “We raised the issue with the MP’s office and even wrote, complaining over the decision,” said Thela adding that the MP told the residents that “the fund is used for emergencies”. What kind of an emergency the road is still remains to be seen because most Tati West residents believe that the road project should have been undertaken by the central government. Others are even threatening to punish Moabi in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) primaries. Whether this is an empty threat or not also remains to be seen in the course of time.