Councillor caught between two councils

| Wednesday January 13, 2016 14:59

The Majana ward covers the three villages of Makobo, Jamataka and Natale (Majana), but the villages get their services from two different councils, something that the area councillor is not happy with.

Makobo and Jamataka get services from Tutume Sub-District Council while Natale is being serviced by the Tonota Sub-District Council.

Frenzel expressed worry in an interview, stating how difficult it was for him to represent his people well as two different councils served them.

“I attend and sit incouncil meetings at the Tutume Sub-District Council while Natale village which falls under Tonota Sub-District Council always struggle without my representation at the other council,” He said.He added: “This worries me because I am always not available to sit for council meetings at Tonota to discuss issues concerning Natale village as usually the two councils schedule their meetings on the same dates.”

The civic leader’s worry is that it now appears as if he is failing to equitably represent the three villages. He said that he currently represents the people of Natale through government officers something, that he was not happy with.

“My wish is to be able to attend council meetings in a council that all the three villages fall under,” said Frenzel.

He said Dikgosi of Makobo and Jamataka villages get their tribal services from Tonota tribal offices whilst other government services are obtained from Tutume council.

“This is worrisome and it has brought confusion within the two village leaders as well as the whole community as they cannot stop raising this question at every Kgotla meeting pleading to get their services from Tonota which is located nearer to the three villages,” said Frenzel.

He said last year July during a full council meeting, he tabled a motion seeking for his ward to get services from the Tonota Sub-District Council, the preferred council for all the three villages, but to date he has not yet received a response.

Frenzel said the majority of residents in Jamataka and Makobo are unemployed and survive on Ipelegeng as a source of employment and cannot afford transport money to seek services as far as Tutume.

“Residents of Jamataka have raised a complaint that they are failing to visit Tutume to seek government poverty alleviation programmes because it’s far from their village and transport money is unaffordable to them,” said Frenzel adding that he is occasionally forced to use his own money to transport them.

Reached for a comment Makobo village Kgosi, Adam Makobo and Jamataka village Kgosi, Mosalagae Galebonwe shared the same sentiments of being concerned about accessing services at Tutume council located far from their villages hence suggesting Tonota as the preferred council.

“My people wallow in abject poverty. Being forced to travel as far as Tutume for services is torture because they cannot afford transport money. We want to receive services from Tonota. At the moment, people here are failing to travel to Tutume to seek for services that could possibly improve their lives. We plead for help,” said Galebonwe.