FCC councillors against MPs controlling P10m constituency fund

Several Francistown City Councillors agreed during a special full council meeting on Tuesday that Members of Parliament must be prevented from controlling the P10 million constituency grants to be allocated to constituencies across the country.

Mayor Sylvia Thabitha Muzila said the city has three constituencies which all requested erection of 25 tower lights in their wards at a cost of P350 000 per unit to minimise criminal activities and social ills. She feared if grated this would compromise other developments plans.

Specially elected councillor James Kgalajwe proposed that MPs should not be given any opportunity to control the funds as they are strictly meant for local government through its various wards. If MPs control the grants, they’ll propose projects that give them political mileage, he said.

“We must concentrate on income generating programmes instead of developments that cannot generate future income,” Kgalajwe suggested. He was supported by councillor for Botsalano ward Zibanani Benfield, former FCC mayor and special elected councillor Peter Ngoma and BMD councillor Gaone Majere who all feared that if MPs control the grant it would be politicised.

Benfield begged the house to consider allocating two or three open spaces to her Ward Development Committee so that her electorate can also benefit. Ngoma  advised that proposals for city developments must not be white elephants and that entertainment halls to be built must be of international standards likely to lure international and local artist and companies to use them. Majere advised that instead of sharing the money within WDC, the funds should be distributed at council ward level to balance things.