Cash-strapped, Dikgosi neglected, ignored
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday October 30, 2020 15:40
Still in the Ntlo Ya Dikosi, Kgosi Moeti Monyamane for Kgalagadi North Region told Ntlo ya Dikgosi on Wednesday that the reason why some dikgosi are failing to consult others before coming to the House is due to factors such as lack of resources and low allowance.
On Wednesday, Monyamane tabled a motion which reads: “That the honourable house requests Government to adjust the responsibility, hospitality, housing and sitting allowance for members of Ntlo ya Dikgosi”.
“As dikgosi, we expect Members of Parliament to speak on our behalf when it comes to issues of welfare and others, but it looks like they have forgotten us. Members of Parliament and councillors have been talking about the importance of increment of their salaries and no one has mentioned us. Our allowances are very, very low especially housing allowance as compared to benefits of both MPs and councillors.
For us who are in the rural areas, we travel long distances which forces us to book for accommodation when we visit other dikgosi like headmen of arbitration and others.
The reason we have to visit them is to inform them if there are some changes in the way we do things or not, challenges he/she faces and other relevant matters. Unlike dikgosi who are in areas nearer towns, in the villages we are forced to travel more than 100 kilometres on un-tarred road,” Monyamane said on Wednesday in an interview.
He said some dikgosi are forced to request for transport from district commissioners, which at times take long for them to do their work or to go for consultation with others.
What is more hurting according to Monyamane is, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has been promising to address the situation for years, but nothing has been done so far.
“I feel we are being neglected as dikgosi because our pleas are hardly taken into consideration. Some dikgosi do not even have offices and yet they sit for cases every day.
We cannot expect someone to sit under a tree for him/her and yet to deliver effectively. That is why some thieves in the villages do not take our dikgosi so serious,” he said.