Kays Phitshana opens Botsalano ward office

EDWARD BULE
Correspondent | Wednesday June 9, 2010 00:00

Only seven months old in the job, after winning the election in October last year, Phitshana has indicated that he takes his position seriously. He has occupied a house at Kgaphamadi from where he intends to serve the people of Botsalano for the next four years. He has already engaged a secretary as well as a cleaner for the office and will be using his own resources for all the expenses.

The house also has a boardroom, which he intends to use as a meeting place for the women and youth committees, who will be offered the facility free of charge. However other organisations, including the political party he belongs to will have to pay if they want to use the boardroom for meetings.

Balatedi Amos, a resident of Kgaphamadi hailed the councillor for delivering an office for the people of Botsalano and said this would make it easier for the people to appoint with him since there is a full-time staff. Freddy Ditsela described it as an act of sacrifice on the part of Phitshana and a sign that he intends to serve his people with diligence.

A few years ago, government made the decision to open offices for MP's in the various constituencies ostensibly to facilitate easy communication with the people.

Manned by a research| administration officer, a secretary| typist and messenger/cleaner, the constituency offices handle a number of issues including doing research for the MP and giving free advice to the voters on their social and economic concerns. Government pays for all the expenses, ranging from rent to staff salaries.

Requests by councillors to have this generosity extended to them were rebuffed leaving them with no other option but meet their voters at home. This has created several problems. One of them is that voters can visit when the councillor is out and there is nobody else to assist them.

Councillors assist people in various issues such as people with marital problems, bereaved voters in his ward, youth needing guidance on how to source government funds for a commercial project they want to engage in as well as employees seeking a resolution to a labour dispute.