Kweneng council decentralises

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Wednesday September 22, 2010 00:00

Kweneng District Council Chairman, Motlhophi Leo, says that the council plans to have a sub council in Thamaga by next year while Lentsweletau is planned for 2011 to 2012. The council already has a sub council at Mogoditshane, ca

led Mogoditshane-Thamaga Sub Council. The Thamaga sub-district will be responsible for Mankgodi, Ramaphatle, Thamaga, Gakgatla, Kubung, Kotolaname, Lesilakgokogong.  Lentsweletau sub-district will take Kopong, Gakuto, Lentsweletau, Mahetlwe, Medie, Hatsalatladi, Boatlaname, Sojwe, Shadishadi and Kweneng.

Currently, the Mogoditshane-Thamaga Sub Council provides services for the whole of Mogoditshane, Metsimotlhabe, Gabane, Kumakwane, Thamaga and Mmopane, the chairman has revealed.  

Leo says that the district council gave Mogoditshane priority since it is an area that is highly populated compared to other areas earmarked for sub councils, and therefore demanded attention from the council. 

'There was an urgency for us to have a sub council there because of the population which stands at over 60,000 people who need our services. 

Again, there is a problem of illegal traders and many others which we need to control,' said the chairman. 

Currently, the Mogoditshane-Thamaga Sub Council issues trading licences, allows for renewal of licenses, accommodates council meetings and provides many other services that clients might need.  There is also an office for a district officer.

The facility, which has been alleged by some councillors to be too expensive, has two floors and it also has a total of 50 subdivided offices and other small structures.

Even though the chairman could not tell the size of the property immediately, he says that he does not consider it to be expensive, and confirmed that it is not rented for P120,000 a month as it was alleged, but only P80,000 inclusive of VAT every month. 

'It is not true what people are saying.  We have considered government rates and I can tell you that we did not go over board'.

Decentralisation comes with cost and challenges. The council reports to have struggled to find a suitable facility for the sub-council in Mogoditshane even though it did not call for tenders.  It therefore opted for direct tendering since there was no other area to consider for renting.

'We could not find a suitable facility for what we wanted and there was just one company which had a facility that found suitable for us,' the chairman said.  The property at Mogoditshane belongs to Fidelity Print Mark.

Again, the council says it is struggling to get a suitable facility at Lentsweletau while one has already been identified for a sub council in Thamaga.