Local Government

Untitled Document

BACKGROUND

The objectives of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship/Lekala la Puso ea Libaka le Borena are: to introduce democratic local government; to deepen and widen access to the structures of government >>

MINISTER

The Honourable Pontšo 'Matumelo Sekatle was born on 26 May 1957. She pursued her primary education at Quthing Primary and obtained her Standard 7 Certificate in 1970. >>.

MINISTRY DEPARTMENTS

Chieftainship

The Chieftainship Department has responsibility for administration and support of the chieftainship system >>

Decentralisation

This Department is responsible for overseeing local government reform >>

Finance and Administration

The Ministry's Finance and Administration Department is responsible for the smooth running of the Ministry. It comprises >>

Human Resources

The Human Resources Department recruits, develops and >>

Lands, Survey and Physical Planning

This department is responsible for land use planning, land tenure >>

Planning

The Planning and Development Department's three primary functions are >>

HIV/AIDS

The HIV/AIDS pandemic in Lesotho has reached such critical proportions that it affects every person in every aspect of their life. It impacts on all development interventions. >>

RESOURCE DOCUMENTS

Community Councils: Gateway to fighting HIV/AIDS Background brochures in Sesotho and English about the Gateway campaign. >> Sesotho >> English

The HIV/AIDS pandemic in Lesotho has reached such critical proportions that it affects every person in every aspect of their life. It impacts on all development interventions. The extent of the pandemic calls for an integrated response across all development efforts, sectors, interventions and partnerships. Duplication of efforts and wasting of resources through multiple and parallel approaches and institutions must be avoided.

The Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship (Human Resources Directorate) together with its partners the NGO Karolelano ea Tsebo Facilitators Association (KaTseFA) and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) have pioneered a key approach to mainstreaming the fight against HIV/AIDS. The method is known as the Gateway approach, under which Community Councils will become the Gateway to fighting HIV/AIDS successfully.

Basic principles
Existing systems (local and central government) must play a key role in fighting HIV/AIDS. The capacities of the Community Councils have to be built up to make them the Gateway to fighting the pandemic. The basis for a systematic response to the pandemic is indigenous planning tools for developing and implementing HIV/AIDS Action Plans at Council level.

Objectives
To make Community Councils and other local leaders HIV/AIDS competent.
Each member of the Council knows:

what HIV is and how it evolves to become AIDS
how it can be prevented
how it can be managed through testing, treatment and care
that being infected is not an automatic death sentence; and
how one can live a long and productive life if one looks after oneself.

To empower Community Councils to be the Gateway in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The Community Councils must perform a co-ordinating role in the development of action plans based on community priorities and monitor their implementation through the support of service providers.

To promote a demand-driven support system at district and national levels.
The priorities of the villagers (enshrined in district action plans) must be linked to the district and national support structures. All administrative and sectoral structures must core-stream the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Progress to date
The pilot phase of the Gateway strategy began in October 2003 in selected Community Councils in five districts of Lesotho. Competency building for councillors has subsequently been successfully completed in seven districts (Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Mohale's Hoek, Mafeteng, Mokhotlong, Berea and Thaba-Tseka). The whole programme was completed in December 2006. The second phase of the programme will be to re-orientate the community-based service providers including support groups, to enable them to understand their role and how in future their activities will be linked to community councils' overall plans.

District AIDS Committees are now in place having replaced District AIDS Task Forces. Capacity building of these committees, conducted in partnership with the National AIDS Commission, commenced in October 2006.