GCC to set up commercial company

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Tuesday June 4, 2013 00:00

 

In a special full council meeting yesterday, councillors approved recommendations from the GCC Income Generating Committee to start the process of setting up the company.Income Generating Committee Chairman Reverend Rupert Hambira said the company would run business for the city council to reduce its dependence on government. He added that their main objective is for the city to have greater financial muscle. 

In an interview with Mmegi after the meeting, Rev Hambira said although his committee has not yet identified specific business ventures to go into, the options they have discussed included property development, paid parking lots and the development of a GCC abattoir.He said the company would also help further brand Gaborone as a diamond city, and exploit sports and recreational activities for revenue generation.

The GCC is hoping to have completed the registration process by August or September this year, with the names floated for the company being Kgetsi Ya Tsie Holdings, Civic Centre Holdings and GCC Holdings.Hambira's committee also recommended that the GCC avail funds and resources for the recruitment of the company's chief executive officer (CEO) and skeletal staff. It also called for the appointment of a board of directors for proper oversight and corporate governance purposes.

Although the committee benchmarked with the Kgatleng District Council, which has a Kgatleng Development Foundation, the team asked to be allowed to go on further benchmarking visits to municipalities like Gauteng and Limpopo in South Africa. The committee also asked the council to formalise the relationship with an unnamed strategist, with whom they worked on the company proposal. 

The move to establish the company follows the 2012 Local Government Act, which encourages local authorities to generate their own income.  It also comes just weeks after celebrated local architect Leta Mosienyane called for the appointment of a city CEO to manage the city from a commercial perspective.  Mosienyane made the call at a Central Business District development executive seminar where he said the city's anticipated brand, as a diamond city, needed to be nurtured in order to attract further business.