Boko to address Kgatleng District full council meeting

SONNY SERITE

Leader of the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) Advocate Duma Boko is scheduled to address the full sitting of the Kgatleng District Council(KDC) today (Tuesday) in the afternoon.

Boko’s address comes at the invitation of the Kgatleng District Council Chairman Mpho Morolong who confirmed the development to this publication on Monday.

Morolong, who is also the Boseja central ward councillor who entered KDC with the UDC ticket, said Boko is expected to share with the councillors his mandate as the Leader of Opposition in parliament.

‘‘Boko will share the challenges and the mandate of his position as the leader of opposition’’, Morolong told this publication. He said as the council, they have various departments all of which are entitled to invite different entities that they deem valuable to share any information with the councillors and as such he used his office as the council chairman to ask for a slot to accommodate Boko. He said he was happy that none of the councillors, including those from the ruling party, raised any objection towards Boko being invited to address them.

Boko’s address brings a fresh perspective to channels that leaders of opposition can utilize to educate the nation about their mandate. Former leader of opposition Dumelang Saleshando once attempted the same objective in 2012 through Kgotla meetings but his meetings were abruptly called off by former President Ian Khama’s office.

At the time, Saleshando had said that his Kgotla meetings which were scheduled to start in Bokaa and Ramotswa were meant to educate members of the public about the role of the opposition and in particular his role as leader of opposition in parliament.

He had pointed out that the meetings formed part of his duties as the opposition has a role to play in the development of democracy in the country.

With just one meeting into his schedule however, a directive was apparently issued from the Office of the President to the Ramotswa District Commissioner to effectively stop a meeting that was scheduled to take place in that village.  Saleshando at the time told the media that the Clerk of the National Assembly had informed him that the Office of the President had instructed that the meetings should not continue.