Of lamentations and MPs consultations
Dithapelo Keorapetse | Friday January 22, 2016 14:50
So the consultations are more about listening to the people, their questions and feedback at the Kgotla and other fora. Some issues raised are attended to by councils and local government and central government’s civil servants while others need MPs to ask questions, table themes or motions in Parliament.
What are some of the common issues raised by the masses of the people to their MPs? Most issues relate to economic problems of unemployment, poverty and inadequate access to basic services. It’s clear in many areas that our people are economically disempowered. In fact, the economy is in the hands of foreigners and our people are expected to eat crumbs from foreigners whose unprecedented bonanza continues unabated. The people lament that government programs are good on paper, well explained and very easy to understand but when one tries their luck it becomes a laborious task to almost impossible to be assisted or benefit. In particular, the people complain about bureaucratic red-tape in accessing Department of Gender Affairs and Youth Development Fund and other programmes especially agriculture related.
On education, there seems to be a problem of old and dilapidated infrastructure because of obvious lack of proper maintenance. Ceilings of classrooms are falling off at schools and roofs are leaking, paint has faded at some schools and electricity connections are dysfunctional. Many schools are inhabitable. Some schools are overpopulated. There are also complaints about shortages of teaching and support staff, teaching materials, equipment and machinery as well as textbooks and stationery. Teachers are demotivated by poor conditions of service including shortage of accommodation and in many instances bad accommodation. Juvenile delinquency is another concern in some schools. This gives parents, teachers and Dikgosi sleepless nights.
Since the transfer of water services to the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC), there’s a plethora of complaints from Batswana. The billing system is said to be fraudulent; people are charged a ridiculous amounts of money without clear explanation. For instance, sometimes a family is away for a month and the water bill remains high or becomes even higher than when the family is home. One minister actually complained about high water bills, notwithstanding water rationing in the southern regions. Some recommend prepaid system for water similar to what the power corporation has introduced. The other issue about WUC is perennial leakages of pipes and problems of sewerage systems and connections. It would seem that the line between what needs to be done by councils and the water corporation is blurred.
People still complain about lack of improved access to health services; it’s almost impossible to see a specialist within a reasonable time and people wait a long time on cues to see doctors. Some hospitals are old and falling apart and lack necessary materials and equipment. Shortage of doctors, nurses, specialists and other health workers is a common problem which has been with us for a very long time. Public hospitals and clinics are generally depressing because of their conditions.
Trade disputes are also common problems for MPs. The country’s laws still protect employers against workers. The government has been reluctant to empower the workers through independent and competent bodies to deal with trade disputes. The current arrangement of labour office is a joke. The department cannot firmly deal with wayward employers. The backlog at the industrial court is unreasonable. Workers continue to suffer; they are abused, work under deplorable conditions and are unfairly dismissed but have little recourse from government or courts of law. Public servants, including those in the security sector, are not immune from these labour issues. MPs are, for the most part, helpless because corporations, mainly owned by foreigners, collude with government to protect business interests against labour. MPs should therefore strive for more workers’ rights through appropriate policies and laws.
Many councils across the country have limited budgets because their annual funds have been cut or have remained stagnant. As a result, they are unable to offer essential services such as sanitation etcetera. In fact, enviromental health is one area that has suffered because of these budget cuts, there’s filth all over because councils don’t have enough resources to clean. Cynics would then blame councillors and accuse them of failing. The other problem is that the current regime believe so much in centralisation as opposed to decentralisation. There’s no codified policy on decentralisation and even the constitution doesn’t recognise decentralisation.
Many Batswana demand improved service delivery. The elderly, women and youth decry mediocre service in government offices. They complain about denial of service, unnecessary delays and inadequate services. Sometimes this is because there aren’t enough resources at government offices at the disposal of civil servants or that officers are demotivated and in some cases what senior government officials, including ministers, promise the people at Kgotla meetings is not what is offered at government offices. People complain about services they get from the power and water corporations, councils, post offices, hospitals and schools and other government departments. Thinking that civil servants want to sabotage the government and that they are lazy or refuse to work, as some think and say, is to insult, disrespect and demean them. People should sometimes realize the appalling conditions civil servants have to endure and the fact that they are not well resourced to do their job in many instances. In fact some literally subsidize government with their time, vehicles and other resources just so that the job can be done. Some isolated incidents shouldn’t be used to insult and disparage civil servants.
Next week most MPs will be heading to the capital city for the budget session beginning February 1. It is going to be a long 10 weeks of questions/themes and answers, debates and or discussions raised on behalf the people.