'Legitimacy of BNYC district committees questionable'

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Friday August 12, 2011 00:00

 

The result is that DYCs are approaching their fourth year in office while their term normally lasts for three years, Metlha Mokwena the chairperson of the BNYC, has told a press conference in Gaborone.

New DYCs should have been elected into office in March this year when the new board was elected into office after the six months of the life of an interim committee headed by Solly Reikeletseng to steer the organisation in the right direction elapsed.

Reikeletseng's interim committee itself was installed after elected BNYC board members were fired amid accusations of political activism.  'The interim committee couldn't finish everything it was supposed to do over the six months it was allocated,' Mokwena told the press conference on Tuesday, adding that the legitimacy of DYCs was in question because their term in office had elapsed. While he acknowledged the importance of DYCs, which he commended for storage of information 'as they know a lot about their districts and have long established networks with community and the local leadership,' he admitted that some were non-existent, while others were 'not fully constituted and functional'. Metlha said they hoped to have new DYCs elected into office by November. But because holding elections was a costly exercise, they would need the support of the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, he noted.

Metlha took the opportunity to repeat that there would be no political interference in the new board, saying the board would stand by its mandate to serve young people across the spectrum. 'The BNYC is not going to do anything politically motivated ever again, at least while this board is still in office,' he said. On other issues, Metlha said BNYC is revamping five youth centres across the country, beginning with Mma-Masire Youth Centre in Gaborone that will be used as a model for the other centres. The organisation has been given a grant of P8 million towards revamping the centres.