Jwaneng council owed over P9m
Lebogang Baingapi | Tuesday February 21, 2017 14:48
Furthermore, service levy and interest-free building material loan arrears currently stand at over P417,000 and P820,000 respectively. In 2015 the council resolved to take legal action against plot owners in the town who failed to pay their rates and building material loans. Though that did not happen, it however acted as an awakening call to some plot owners who came forward to redeem themselves.
Rates and service levies are part of the council’s way of generating funds to finance other developments within the town. At that time, the legal threat carried a message that the legal expenses incurred by the council were going to be borne by defaulters, thus increasing capital debt and interest they owed.
The council has so far observed slow improvement in servicing of building material loans, service levy and rates, and Tshotelo therefore warned in Friday kgotla meeting that failure to pay will leave the town broke and unable to build more developments.
A resident, Jonathan Tebogo also called on the council authorities to intensify their search for the land lords and make follow up on payments. He said most of the plots were rented and the owners stay out of Jwaneng and therefore difficult to meet them. He advised the council to use the media, or trace them through the banks where most the transactions between the landlord and the tenants happen.
“They should be liable to pay tax like any other person doing business in Botswana. It is therefore imperative to launch and intensify a search for plot owners to generate funds for the council.
Recently during a full council meeting, councillors complained that their rates were too high as compared to other towns. Specially nominated councillor, Olga Ditsie argued that Jwaneng rates were 100% more than those of Gaborone and as a council they should look into reviewing them to match those of other towns.
Jwaneng town clerk, Dick Kalantle, however, advised that the Local Government Act gives local authorities the powers to regulate their standard rates. Kalantle further advised if the house felt that revising their rates could be a solution to poor payments then they were free to table such a motion.