GOVT EXEMPT SOME OFFICERS FROM PAYING RENT Kehumile Moekejo for BOPA The Member of Parliament for Ngwaketse West, Mr Mephato Reatile has informed his constituents that public servants working in areas classified as remotest will be exempted from paying rent. In a series of kgotla meetings that he addressed recently, Mr Reatile noted that apart from the Remote Area Service Allowance(RASA), such officers will effective April 1, stay free in government houses. This, he noted, was part of the government’s plan to lure civil servants to remotest areas, where there had been complaints about shortage of personnel. He also noted that government was intending to connect electricity to all government buildings, including staff houses. He said this would also reduce the challenge of staff shortage since some officers declined to work in areas where there was no electricity. Furthermore, Mr Reatile informed attendants that government had come up with a special Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) scheme for public service employees earning D4 salary scale and below. He explained that the scheme was intended to address the disparity of the status quo whereby middle income public servants did not qualify for any housing schemes. “The government has realised that this group has been hanging in the lurch because the existing SHHA does not cover them and again they do not qualify for other housing loans available in the market,” he explained. The loans, he noted, will be repaid in 20 years to cushion monthly installments. Furthermore, the MP said the Ministry of Local Government has been given P200 million for the renovation and maintenance of buildings, including the backlog eradication in schools. He said the objective was to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment for both teachers and students. On other issues, Mr Reatile pleaded with residents to bear with government because some issues could not be addressed due to shortage of funds. He said even though some people complained that the maximum prices for farm produce at schools was too low for them to make profits, financial constraints did not allow for any increment of prices. He however said it was upon the procurement committees in schools to assess if an increment was possible, considering the quota. Moreover, Mr Reatile challenged local suppliers to consider this procurement as a social investment rather than profit-oriented. He said where possible they should consider it as a way of giving back to the government and their communities since most of them benefit from ISPAAD
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 09:59:29 +0000