User:Ethansmith/Sandbox
Gaborone City Council | |
|---|---|
| Leadership | |
Mayor | |
Deputy Mayor | |
City Clerk | Agnes Seragi |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 35 |
Political groups | |
| Committees |
|
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
| Motto | |
| Kgetse ya tsie ke go tshwaraganelwa | |
| Website | |
| Gaborone City Council | |
The Gaborone City Council is the governing body of the city of Gaborone, Botswana. It is composed of 35 councillors.
Elections
Elections to elect the city councillors are held around the same time as national elections. The most recent one occurred in 2009. The elections are administered by the Gaborone District Independent Electoral Commission. The mayor of Gaborone is elected yearly by the 35 councillors in a first-past-the-post system. Candidates are limited the councillors themselves. Like the mayor, the members of the committees are elected yearly by the 35 councillors from among the councillors. Since the citizens of Gaborone do not elect the committee members or the mayor directly, they rarely know who the candidates are until after the mayor is selected. This has led to unaccountability on the mayors part towards the electorate.[1]
Structure
The Townships Act mandates the structure of local governments in Botswana.
Administration
The city clerk runs the Gaborone City Council and is head of the Chief Officers Management Team (COMT). The city clerk has various advisory committees and secretaries to aid with the job; these helping positions include the deputy clerk, the secretariat, the head of the treasury, the Self-Help Housing Agency, and the departments of engineering, health, fire, education, social and community development, and building and architecture.[2]
Committees
The Gaborone City Council has seven committees:
- the finance and general purposes committee
- the public health, social welfare and housing committee
- the Self-Help Housing Agency (SHAA) management committee
- the town planning committee
- the trade licensing committee
- the education committee
- the motions committee
The mayor and deputy mayor head the finance committee, making it the most important committee.[3]
Composition
| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) | 15
| |
| Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) | 11
| |
| Botswana Congress Party (BCP) | 8
| |
| Botswana National Front (BNF) | 1
| |
| Total | 35
| |
| Source: Mmegi | ||
2012 Mayoral election result
The 2012 elections on 15 May were contested when Agnes Seragi, Gaborone City Clerk and presiding officer over the elections, realised that there were 36 ballot papers, one more ballot paper than the total number of councillors. Councillor Moloko accused councillor Kwapa of cutting his ballot in half and putting two votes into the ballot box. Councillor Taunyane supported the accusation, noting that one of the ballot papers is indeed cut in half. As a result, the count was voided. A new election followed immediately where councillor Nkaigwa became mayor and councillor Shagwa became deputy mayor.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botswana Movement for Democracy | Haskins Nkaigwa | 19 | 54.3 | |
| Botswana Democratic Party | Veronica Lesole | 16 | 45.7 | |
| Source: Mmegi[4] | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botswana Congress Party | Florence Shagwa | 19 | 54.3 | |
| Botswana Democratic Party | Rupert Hambira | 15 | 42.9 | |
| spoilt | 1 | 2.9 | ||
| Source: Mmegi[4] | ||||
List of mayors
| Mayor | Years in Office | Political Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Jones | 1966–1968 | ||
| Grace Dambe | 1968–1969 | ||
| Wellie Seboni | 1969–1974 | ||
| Rosinah Mannathoko (first term) | 1974–1976 | ||
| Clement Oliphant | 1977 | ||
| Rosinah Mannathoko (second term) | 1978 | ||
| Pelotelele Tlhaodi | 1979 | Botswana Democratic Party | |
| Serara Ketlogetswe | 1979–1984 | ||
| Botshabelo Bagwasi | 1984 | Botswana National Front | |
| Paul Rantao | 1984–1994 | Botswana National Front | |
| Ginger Ernest | 1994 | Botswana National Front | |
| Nelson Ramaotwana | 1999–2004 | Botswana National Front | |
| Harry Mothei | 2004–2009 | Botswana National Front | |
| Veronica Lesole | 2009–2011 | Botswana Democratic Party | |
| Haskins Nkaigwa | 2011–present | Botswana Movement for Democracy | |
| Source: Botswana Guardian[5] | |||
Notes
- ^ Maundeni 2004, p. 31–32.
- ^ Lekorwe 1998, p. 79.
- ^ Lekorwe 1998, p. 77–78.
- ^ a b c Keoreng 2012.
- ^ Ramadubu 2011.
References
- Keoreng, Ephraim (16 May 2012). "Fraud allegations in GCC elections". Mmegi Online. Gaborone. Dikgang Publishing Company. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
{{cite news}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Lekorwe, Mogopodi (1998). "The politics of urban governance and management in Gaborone". Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies. 12. Gaborone: 69–84. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Maundeni, Zibani (2004). "Mapping Local Democracy in Gaborone City". Gaborone: Botswana Association of Local Authorities. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Ramadubu, Dikarabo (10 July 2011). "New Mayor; old problems". Gaborone: Botswana Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)