Over 900 jobs vacant in councils
Baboki Kayawe | Thursday February 16, 2017 16:15
The Kgalagadi District Council has 78 vacancies, Southern District 64, Kgatleng 59 posts, Francistown city Council and Selebi-Phikwe Town Council 58 each, Chobe District Council 53, and 52 at Lobatse Town Council.
Responding to an enquiry by specially elected MP, Mephato Reatile, assistant Local Government and Rural Development minister, Botlogile Tshireletso further revealed that Kweneng District Council has 48 vacancies, Gantsi District Council 41, South East District 26 and Sowa Town Council the least number of vacant posts with eight.
“The total vacancies represent a rate of 5.2 percent against the national target of two percent,” Tshireletso said.
She said efforts to fill the vacancies were at advanced stages of recruitment, with 192 advertised, 71 at short-listing stage, 67 to be interviewed for, 110 offered, 171 to be offered and 65 graduates sought while others are earmarked for promotion, rationalisation and outsourcing.
“The major challenges in filling vacancies include acute supply of skilled candidates in the market for positions such as principal state counsels, physical planners, engineers, controller of fire services and assistant managers in the field of procurement,” Tshireletso said.
Moreover, she said some candidates were reluctant or declined to take up offers in places such as Kgalagadi, Gantsi or Chobe, which caused delays.
Meanwhile, a total of 85 litigations are said to have taken place in the past five years against procurement units in all districts and Town Councils. The total costs associated with all the cases lost is P10.1 million.
“The total that has been paid by councils in the last five years is P11.3 million,” Tshireletso said.