Ntlo ya Dikgosi leaders to be elected after every two and half years
| Tuesday January 19, 2016 15:07
At the beginning of the Forth Meeting of Ntlo ya Dikgosi yesterday, the chairman, Kgosi Puso Gaborone told members that the changes would enable them to deliver effectively.
Gaborone was re-elected as chairman but he was challenged by Kgosi Galeakanye Modise who got 13 votes against Gaborone’s 20. The position of deputy was not contested for. Bangwaketse royal, Kgosi Malope, who took over from Kgosi Lotlamoreng II when he resigned to go to Parliament last year, holds the position.
“Our House has not been delivering to the expectations because of voting the chairman and deputy every year. This was blocking us from working hard because our duties here were also colliding with some of our duties at the Kgotla. Again, our plan for the House was forced to be for a short period, looking at the time one takes in the office,” Gaborone said.
He said they want to improve on how Ntlo ya Dikgosi is run by tracing its old profiles and looking at some things that could be added or improved.
Gaborone said they had realised that people don’t have much appreciation of the mandate of Ntlo ya Dikgosi.
“That is the reason why our House has recently been under attack from other media houses and the public. We want to take the house to the people so that they differentiate when a member is not talking on behalf of the house and when he views his issues as a kgosi.
People should know that this house is still relevant, otherwise the government could have disbanded it,” he said.
He said they have started to engage students and other important stakeholders on educating them about Ntlo ya Dikgosi.
“For example we don’t think the media is doing enough coverage of Ntlo ya Dikgosi issues like what they do about Parliament,” he said.
Gaborone said they are planning to engage media houses and cabinet ministers on the coverage as well as its mandate, and build a good working relationship with the parties.
“I am glad that the Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi attended our first meeting and delivered a speech. Our relationship with Ministers seems to be improving, looking at the last session, and we had agreed that we would meet the Vice President three times a year while the National Speaker would be met four times,” he said.
For his part, Masisi told the House that his government is willing to corporate with them and his office is open for them if they have pressing matters to discuss.
“Marara ke a lo solofetsa gore kgoro tsa lebati lame di butswe ka nako tsotlhe. Ke dumela gore ke tla lebiletsa tee nako nngwe gape le tla dumela go nwa tee le nna,” he said before proceeding to brief them about the Economic Stimulus Package (ESP).