. Speaking to Mmegi in an interview this week, he stressed that his most notable achievements can be noticed in the infrastructural development and the cordial relationship between the city council and the informal sector. Radisigo added that the council staff and councillors also deserve credit for what he achieved during his tenure as he worked closely with them. Reflecting on his tenure, the outgoing Mayor whose term ends next week said that he has ensured that infrastructure in school is significantly improved. He added that the internal roads and the improvement of the storm water drainage system in most areas in the city are some of the highlights of his term. “Issues of security in terms of street lighting have also improved in most parts of the city owing to the council’s well-coordinated maintenance plan. We continue to explore several approaches that can help us improve the illumination of our streets in the city,” he said.
Radisigo underscored that during his tenure the relationship between the council and street vendors has also greatly improved. “If you recall well our relationship with the informal sector was not cordial when I took over. One of the factors that caused tension was that some of the businesses were not catered for under business categories licensed by the council. As a result, our by-law officers frequently raided those businesses,” he explained. “We then decided to employ flexibility in terms of licensing. We license almost every business provided there is guarantee that the licence holder will take care of environment. This is one of the initiatives that came as a result of the informal sector strategy launched under my tenure, working collaboratively with the council staff and councilors.” He said one of the core tenets of the informal sector strategy is to improve the relationship between the council and the informal sector. Radisigo further said that through the informal sector strategy, which was launched two years ago, the council has amongst others, facilitated workshops and other capacity building initiatives aimed at enhancing the way those in the informal sector operate, so that they contribute meaningfully to the economic growth of the city. Capacity building workshops have been held with the support of Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC) and workshop UNDP amongst others, according to him. “We have also opened an office that is solely devoted to assisting the informal sector near the bus rank as a way of improving accessibility and for convenience. We do experience differences with the informal sector, but the way they are resolved is very cordial and sincere as compared to the previous years. I must point out that the informal sector has also been cooperating since I took over when it comes to cleaning their operational spaces. This is one factor that previously caused tension between the council and the informal,” he added.
