By Neo Kolane
Local authorities in the Mantṧonyane constituency in Thaba-Tseka district are frustrated after this year’s slashed capital budget allocation of a meagre M4-million instead of the M13-million normally meant for development projects in the district.
Capital budgeting is the process of making investment decisions in long term asset.
The councillors complain that the M4-million allocated to the remote district is far short of meeting their development needs such as road repairs and maintenance of burst water pipes due to heavy rains.
In an interview with theReporter, the chairperson of the district council, Neo Hani, said the budgetary allocation was too little to engage residents in such projects as road repairs.
Hani said as part of fixing the damaged roads infrastructure, the council had plans such as blasting and drilling operations which he argued were costly.
He further said during road maintenance, drainage pipes are installed and labourers employed to carry out the works need to be paid. The money, he remarked, is far below the required amount.
“We want as many Basotho youths in Thaba-Tseka as possible to benefit from the maintenance of the roads but under the circumstances, this might remain un unattainable dream,” Hani said.
Some youths are already lost hope of ever being hired when works are carried out in different councils in the constituency, thereby resulting in increased unemployment.
theReporter caught up with two youths from the district which is 170km from Maseru who were distraught when outlining their concerns on spiking unemployment.
Some of the youths in Mantṧonyane are involved in subsistence crop farming while others have their hands full in vegetable production.
One of them, Mokete Beke from Tholanyane village said road contractors engaged in the construction of some of the infrastructure usually employ labour force from outside the district. He claimed that some of their colleagues have the requisite credentials.
Beke said he once applied for a position of a truck driver as he holds a driving license but was not successful. At one stage in 2021, he added, he sought employ at the local government department, to be a truck driver but nothing yielded any fruits.
Another 29-year old youth, Molefi Mashoae, from Tholang village, said many youths in his village are idling at home “because they do not like to be involved in farming as there is no market for their produce.”
Mashoae revealed that job openings are normally to be advertised by local councillors.
“The Member of Parliament for Mantṧonyane constituency, Lesitsi Mokoma, told us there was no money yet from the central government to finance youth job creation initiatives, but reassured us that once it is available it will be disbursed and generate jobs That is positive and encouraging news.
“Most of the people who get jobs at home affairs and local government are those who are related to the government officers there. Nepotism is rife in those ministries.
“We plead with the government to give us jobs. We want to be employed,” Mashoae said.
The chief of Ha Rankomo, Tsepa Sentṧo, confirmed that unemployment is increasingly becoming a disturbing social ill which leaves families plunged into desolate conditions.
He advised the youth to form farming cooperatives that would grow potatoes and rear chicken in order to improve the people’s livelihood.
“The consequences of the unemployment are very visible. The youth indulge in drugs and others steal at shops and break into people’s homes.”
A councillor of Ha Labane village, ‘Matebello Matlotlo also lamented the lack of jobs, noting some of the local residents are engaged at a farming project that produces cabbage and potatoes.
Matlotlo said some of the youth once attended a workshop where they were equipped with skills in artisan works. She said some of the vacancy lists are submitted to the office of the Member of Parliament instead of the local councillor.
“To be honest, the Member of Parliament advised us to submit the names of the young job seekers but as councillors we did not do so,” Matlotlo admitted.
A source from the local government ministry who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that the ministry was operating on a shoe string budget after its annual allocation had been significantly slashed.
The information officer of local government and chieftainship affairs, ‘Makena Letsie could not comment on the amount allocated to the ministry as it had not yet been approved by the legislature.
During his presentation of the 2022/2023 budget the minister of finance, Thabo Sophonea, said the government’s efforts must focus on the promotion of private sector-led economic growth and job creation by building essential infrastructure and development of appropriate policy and legal frameworks.
“Our economic policy in the fiscal year 2022/23 and in the future, therefore, seeks to focus on promoting entrepreneurship and employability, especially of youth.
“The Smallholder Agriculture Development Project II which now operates in all districts will continue to award 400 matching grants, 200 youth and women to enhance private sector led job creation and economic growth,” Sophonea said.
