Cllrs cry over nominated colleagues� pay
Galebolae Ngakane | Wednesday June 11, 2014 06:00
Tabengwa Tabengwa of Ikageleng ward said the opposition has been vindicated as they have always castigated the government for abusing the system of nominations. “We have never agreed with this issue of nominated councillors because it is being abused here in Botswana. In essence, nominated councillors are supposed to come into the council equipped with special skills. But that is not the case with the BDP government,” he said.
He added angrily: “These nominated councillors in our council do not do anything. They hardly ever contribute in debates in council sessions and others are always on their phones in the meetings”.
Tabengwa said that it was expensive to maintain nominated councillors as they are not bringing anything yet such large sums of money is being spent on them.
He lamented that the nominated councillors are getting salaries and allowances but at the end of their five-year term, they will also be paid gratuity. “These are just organisers of the ruling party. They have nothing to do with the interests of the people or voters,” Tabengwa charged.
The councillor who had asked the question, Robert Mosweu, of Boikhutso ward said he was deliberately putting the government on the spot to demonstrate how the ruling BDP is wasting money.
“The government is saying that there is no money and cannot give public servants increment yet they have no qualms paying these leeches (specially elected councillors) millions,” he said.
Nominated councillor, Ford Moiteela responded that people who are saying government is wasting money on them are engaged in political gymnastics. He said that just like other councillors, they have been elected according to the constitution. He said nominated councillors perform better than elected ones. “If you peruse our motions, you will realise that so far, I have had more motions than other councillors here at FCC, especially those who have been voted in. It does not mean that you are competent when you have been elected. There are incompetent councillors who have been voted into power. Some of them have never held a Kgotla meeting. In any case, people always come to us for assistance instead of going to the elected councillors,” he stated.
Meanwhile, a savingram dated May 16 from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development indicates that the Central District has the largest number of nominated councillors at 34. Chobe, Selebi-Phikwe and Lobatse have the least number of two each.
Francistown has three nominated councillors, Ford Moiteela, deputy mayor Joyce Ndove and Masego Pule.
Kweneng has 16, making it the second largest home of nominated councillors. They get P1, 262, 448 in salaries and P542, 496 in ward allowances annually.
The savingram shows that P8,916,039 is used to pay basic salaries to nominated councillors in a year while ward allowances take P3, 831,378.
In a month, government needs P743,003 to pay the councillors’ basic salaries and P319,281.50 for ward allowance. Total salaries and allowance per month comes to P1, 062, 284.75.
The government needs P338,427 per annum to pay the three nominated councillors in Francistown. Out of this, basic salary takes P236,702 while P101, 718 goes to ward allowance.
In the Central District the total take home per annum of nominated councillors is P3,835,506.