13 Jun 2024

Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA) will soon table a document of proposed benefits for councillors before the minister of Local Government and Rural Development with a view of seeking uniformity and standardisation across of all councils.

Before a meeting with the minister in question, BALA will address the permanent secretary under the same ministry with a view of compiling the critical issues to table before the minister, BALA executive secretary, Mr Steve Pheko told Bobirwa District councillors at the ongoing council session.

“Members of Parliament have a green book which outlines their benefits, but councillors do not have such a document and hence their benefits differ from council to another,” Mr Pheko buttressed the need for a uniform and standardised document.

Upon requesting that councillors have a similar document to the MPs, the ministry set up a committee which brainstormed and gathered ideas which were later sieved and compiled for presentation before the PS and subsequently the minister.

BALA, through their welfare commission which was set up to look into the benefits and lack thereof of councillors, caused the ministry to consider their pleas to dignify councillors during and even post their stints at council chambers. 

Subsequent to realising that councillors’ benefits were not sufficient for the local political leaders, BALA also hatched some plans to help the bylaw makers and are intended on reducing the impact of wide-ranging challenges the councillors faced in their daily operations.

While awaiting the outcome of the proposals to be tabled before the ministry leadership, BALA has negotiated deals with some hardware companies to necessitate councillors with building proper shelter that augurs with their status. Also, councillors have been accorded communication gadgets and airtime for their daily communications with electorate and fellow councillors.

In other issues, the BALA executive secretary said that negotiations were underway to have councillors retooled at Botswana Public Service College, the same way officers were so that there could be coherence in the manner they operated and took services to the people.

“You need to be equipped with lobbying and advocacy skills to better represent your electorate for it is a skill to win those you’re facing in negotiations,” Mr Pheko said and also challenged councillors to equip themselves with government planning and budgeting systems in order to better relay the issues to their constituents. Ends