The chairman of the Chobe District Council Finance committee Percy Kasale has decried the drying up of the council’s own revenue streams which are currently on a downward trajectory.
Presenting the council’s 2025-2026 recurrent budget proposal this week, Kasale revealed that the revenue from their own sources is estimated at around P6.2 million recording a decrease of 26% or P2.1 million from the current year budget.
“The decrease is mainly from the reduction of anticipated income from investment, sanitation fees (especially fees on collection of clinical waste as primary health care service is being relocated to Councils) and hiring of classrooms, as schools that visit our district prefer to lodge at only 3 primary schools of Kasane, Plateau and Kazungula Primary School.”
Kasale said the main sources of own funding for the Council include Interest on investment at 24%, Sanitation Fees at 17%, Staff Housing Rent at 15% and trade licences at 6%. “These votes contribute 62% of the Councils’ own source of revenue. The remaining 38% goes to other sources of income. It is worth noting that non collection of any budgeted income result in cash deficit.”
With revenue from own source of revenue at only 5% of the total budget, Kasale said this dictates that CDC must seriously embark on intentional campaigns that would also assist itself in coming up with new sources of Own Revenue. This he said will enable council to remain liquid and able to deliver on its objectives to help Government to deliver to its people the necessary services.
He stated that the Council must therefore reduce its reliance on the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) from Government and come up with ways of raising its own revenue. “The time is now to actualise the intention by Council to establish a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that would operate as the council commercial wing with the sole objective of raising income for Council.”
Kasale encouraged all from the political and administrative sides to work together with the available limited resources and exercise forethought and rationality in using public funds. He added that council must come up with a solid plan geared towards collecting its debts owed across different votes especially service levy and market rentals.
“The newly established Credit Control Unit has its work cut out in achieving that and I urge you honourable councillors to support them in that regard.”
The finance chairperson urged councillors and public officers to continue encouraging, motivating Batswana to uplift their lives in order to reduce reliance in government hand-outs by engaging in available Government Programmes and exercise care in using public funds.
