Mojuta, Pilane tussle for mayoral chain

Onalenna Kelebeile | Friday April 21, 2017 17:14

 

Also in the race is former mayor and nominated councillor Molosiwa Molosiwa.

Molosiwa and Pilane have confirmed their availability in the mayoral race except for Mojuta who said that he has officially decided never to grant interviews to this reporter. However, it is strongly believed that he will be defending his position.

The first tenure of the current council has been characterised by calmness and peace as compared to the previous one that was known for battles that ended before the Courts of law. However, it is under the current term that the town experienced a major economic blow as a result of the closure of the BCL Mine as well as Pula Steel resulting in massive job losses.

The deputy mayor who acknowledged that they have not achieved much in the two-and-half-years they had been in office, said he wishes to see a difference in the remaining term by reviving and rebuilding of the town.

“Honestly there is no project that we can show since we assumed office. We have been voiceless as the town leadership. We just did not perform to expectations,” he said.

“My belief is that instead of concentrating on investors from outside, the local business community should be empowered to become future investors. This would curb situations where investors at some point relocate out of town,” he said.

He added that whoever will be assuming the mayoral and deputy mayoral office must possess quality traits of understanding the value of consultation with all stakeholders.

“I also believe that the current turn of events has  shown that the mine is not a permanent solution to the local economy so there is a strong need to push SPEDU initiatives to implement major projects that can create more jobs. By so doing, we will have sustainable projects in place when the mine reopens,” he added.

He also added that there is need to package annual activities like the Selebi-Phikwe Marathon and Softball Extravaganza and have the town’s calendar of events so that they contribute to the local economy.

“If well coordinated they will not just become leisure but economic activities as well.”

For his part, Molosiwa said there is a serious need to stand up and reverse the state of the town. He said there should be seriousness in the revival of the town than to be excited about leadership positions.

“We need all projects in the pipeline to be implemented to create employment while we wait for the mine to reopen,” he said. He however added that the landscape is not yet clear whether he will have enough support from his party councillors for the mayoral race but said even if Mojuta is retained they will fully support him.

Those eyeing the deputy mayoral position are councillors Kago Motsemme and Dorcus Letlhogela. Motsemme said he believes he can advocate better and influence some decisions when he is in the deputy mayoral office.

He also acknowledged that attracting employment creation projects is seriously lagging behind.

“We have not done enough so far as leaders in office. We have to pull up our socks,” he said. He also said as councillors they are sidelined by those in authority in terms of simply disseminating information that should reach the electorates for feedback.

“We were in the dark about the mine closure as councillors only to be addressed by ministers way after. We end up failing to account to the community that we represent. That is one of the reasons why I want to be elected the deputy mayor,” he said.

He stressed that recognition of councillors as an integral part of decision-making process is very important because they are a link between the local authority and the community.

 Though it is known that Letlhogela is also eyeing the deputy mayoral office she said she has not shown any interest and that “maybe the interest will arise as time goes on. I have not been approached but if fellow councilors approach me I will gladly exercise my democratic right to contest,” she said.