UDC cllrs give second thought to resignations

Lebogang Baingapi | Friday June 5, 2015 16:41

Town mayor Tsietsi Oodira –Kwenje told the full council meeting this week that his fellow councillors would fully participate in all council committees and they are withdrawing their statements.

The councillors were Ronicah Ntsimako for Mogale Ward and Bankinyana Montsiemang of Ngami ward.

In the previous council seating, the said councillors accused the three Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) councillors for the failed power sharing deal negotiations.

Apparently, the BDP councillors wanted to head all the committees despite being in the minorities.

Ntsimako said that as UDC councillors, they had decided to resign from all council commitees on the grounds that their fellow councillors from the ruling party wanted to head all the committees yet they were the minority in the council.

Ntsimako further said they will leave the ruling BDP to take charge of all committees. Veteran councillor Montsiemang, also alluded that they agreed at their caucus that it is better to leave what he called ‘the ever-greedy BDP’ to rule JTC although they are thin on the ground. Montsiemang, who has been a member of JTC for 26 years said they are sick and tired of fighting with the minorities while they are the majority in the council.

Mayor Oodira-Kwenje warned at that time that council is exclusively run by committees and they should be careful when they take decisions like that. He noted that he was aware of the burning issue of power-sharing, but that it should not be a hindrance to service delivery.  He asked councillors to stand individually and declare their stand on resignation, than speaking collectively under the party’s name.

At that time, Town Clerk Dick Kalantle also advised that the resignation should be tabled as a motion, which can be adopted by two thirds of the house.

“Two thirds means you have to be six to move this motion but since you are four, it is impossible” he added.

He further advised that the committee can be elected from the qualified public than in the council. He however added that the decision taken by UDC councillors is regressive because it does not take the electorates anywhere.

JTC currently has nine councillors with UDC in the majority with six and the BDP with one and two specially elected members.

Recently they managed to appoint an audit committee whose office bearers were derived from members of the public.