Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water resources, Ponatshego Kedikilwe and Selebi-Phikwe West Member of Parliament (MP) Kavis Kario made the call during a progress meeting in Selebi-Phikwe on Friday. However, while acknowledging the need to give the unit independence, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning permanent secretary, Serwalo Tumelo, ruled out giving the new structure autonomy.
Kedikilwe said the Unit should be given independence to ensure efficiency. "If we make it function as a government unit, there will be some impediments. I believe it should be given independence but made to account to the government," Kedikilwe said. Kario expressed concern that if the Unit is entirely a government structure, this would delay decision-making. "The Unit needs independence for operational efficiency. We have to centralise decision-making as some of the good work might be delayed by many authorities around the issue," Kario said.
