GCC rejects law on gathering

SYLVIAH DISELE
Correspondent | Monday May 13, 2013 00:00

 

The councillors lamented that there was little consultation, and the idea was just imposed on them.Councillor Rupert Hambira of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) expressed concern over the 'ambitious nature' of the by- law. During a council meeting on Thursday he said the law could disrupt big events like Olympics and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State meetings coming to Botswana.  He noted that the process of organising events would be cumbersome for the council considering the procedure that had to be taken.

Hambira said the law is also contradictory in the sense that it compels one to request and submit indemnity forms for hosting of events like music festivals. He said that indemnity forms stipulate that attendees come at their own risk while at the other end the by-law states that it is the responsibility of those hosting the events to take care of the attendants.

He further said that the by- law would negatively impact on  politicians as the star rallies are attended by multitudes and one cannot estimate the appropriate number of the people who will attend.Opposition Councillor Ephraim Mabengano said while he supports the proposition in principle he  advised that events be categorised such as funerals and music activities and look into the track record of those events in Gaborone.

He warned that once political parties and churches request a permit for their gatherings, then there is a problem.The councillor added that GCC has to improve its capacity considering that it is failing to  manage even shebeens.Councillor Seabelo Thekiso said if implemented, the by-law is likely to have the highest statistics of offenders. He cited that during month ends, there are a lot of people at banks and that means they will be charged as they will exceed the 50 mark set by the council. 

The councillors said there are issues to consider before passing the by-law like why a permit application would be rejected. Failure to comply with the by-law makes one liable to a fine of P5,000 or a five year imprisonment term, or both. The by-law was deferred on the basis that councillors' must give some input before a decision is made. Gaborone mayor Haskins Nkaingwa said it was a good move that councillors deferred the proposed by-law, and that they would not support it in their respective wards.

He said the councillors want the city clerk and council attorney to accompany them to Kgotla meetings when they carry out consultative sessions with members of the public over the proposed law.