The North West District Council has, since March this year, been hard hit by mass resignations, which have seen officers leaving the authority in large numbers, presumably for greener pastures.
All in all, 25 officers from the council’s various departments – amongst them technicians, accounts officers, drivers, engineers and others – have since left, and to date their posts still remain vacant.
As if that is not enough, 63 other officers also left to join the newly established Water Utilities Corporation (WUC), leaving both the Maun Administrative Authority (MAA) and the main council short staffed and trying hard to deliver services on the backs of a skeletal staff.
NWD Council Secretary, Kwele Puso, told The Sunday Standard that indeed most departments within council have been immeasurably affected even though they are busy at work trying to normalise the situation.
He said that, in the meantime, they are making use of the available staff and, as such, council business is ongoing though not as they would have liked.
“It is true that the recent move by our officers has hit us hard. But, as I speak, we are in the process of rectifying the problem as we have already started advertising the vacant posts, which we believe will be filled soon. I must, however, point out that we highly expected major transitions at a time when WUC took over from the Department of Water Affairs. I must also acknowledge that we have seen it coming because NWDC has since the takeover shifted all water works services to WUC.
So, most of our officers, particularly those who were attached at the Water Unit department, like pipe fitters, sewerage attendants, and water supply operators, would have stayed minus their jobs, hence the need for such a reform.”
With regard to the other 25 who just resigned, Puso said: “I agree that this is a large number, particularly when people leave at the same time. It was unexpected, but those people left on their own accord and we respect their decisions. We believe all will fall into place once the positions have been filled,” he said.
The move has not only raised eyebrows, but has left this tourism town talking, as the resignations also came at a time when the authority has for some time now not been doing well in terms of good service delivery.
Insiders have also blamed the lack of promotions as the main reason leading to the exodus of employees, something which the council leadership flatly denies.
Because of the vastness of the district, Ngamiland District Commissioner, Bernadette Malala, has in the past also engaged officers from various council departments on a mission to go on outreaches and take services to the people, resulting in the opening of a service center within the premises of Sehitwa Sub Land Board while council awaits the establishment of a sub district in the village, which was deferred because of budgetary constraints at the NWDC. The office is manned by among others, the Deputy District Commissioner, assisted by council officials who, because of lack of accommodation, have to commute from Maun. They service people from the areas of Bothatogo, Bodibeng, Kareng and many others, which are in close vicinity to Sehitwa with the registration of marriages, national identity documents and many other services which they used to obtain from Maun and Gumare.
