Seepapitso unhappy with govt stance

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Wednesday January 30, 2008 00:00

 

Seepapitso cited cases where government officials are sponsored to travel within the country and beyond any time they wished 'whilst Dikgosi have to kneel down for weeks' before a trip could be approved. 'Even travelling to Mochudi - just around the corner - we have to beg for at least two weeks before we can be given money to go on official trips. But Members of Parliament (MPs) and ministers travel throughout the country and even beyond borders. They should allow us to travel so that we can be knowledgeable about issues concerning our country,' he told the House.

Kgosi Lotlaamoreng of Borolong concurred with Seepapitso that government is undermining Bogosi. He was speaking during the question and answer session after he complained that the Minister of Local Government, Margaret Nasha, had given two conflicting answers to a question he tabled in 2006 on why the Department of Tribal Administration has withdrawn the items of casual labour, temporary assistance, furniture and general maintenance from the district financial warrants. Kgosi Lotlaamoreng said Nasha answered, in 2006, that the withdrawal was an administrative error that would be rectified. 'Today you are giving a different story, this is a sign that you have no respect for Bogosi,' charged Lotlaamoreng.

In response, Nasha said she has so much respect for Bogosi and that she had made an instruction that the items should be reinstated. 'This should happen at the beginning of the financial year (April) and if anything doesn't happen, please inform me as this would be defiance of my instructions, which I am not going to take lightly,' she said.

Apparently, the current system requires tribal administration centres to ask for money from the Tribal Administration headquarters in Gaborone for casual labour like weeding or cleaning Kgotla compounds. This, Lotlaamoreng said, makes their job unbearable especially that the Tribal Administration Headquarters is 'full of deadwoods' who fail to respond in time to their needs. Nasha said that there is a problem because some centres do not spend the money while others do. The House continues its business today.