10 Nov 2015

The Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Dikgang Makgalemele, has appealed to Batswana to consider reviving cooperatives. 

He said during a meeting with councillors and heads of departments in Letlhakane recently that cooperatives could boost the economy through creation of job opportunities. He urged members of the public to devise robust business ideas for projects that could be implemented through cooperatives.

Mr Makgalemele implored councillors to encourage people to partake in cooperatives that could  have well-coordinated structures. 

He said while cooperatives have had challenges in the past, they still remained a good undertaking.

Mr Makgalemele said cooperatives would offer employment opportunities for all involved. He said there were funding instruments that could assist people who had grouped themselves into a cooperative.

Minister Makgalemele advised that cooperatives could be formed at ward level and he called on sporting clubs to become cooperatives. He raised concern that Batswana were reluctant to utilise government programmes. 

Meanwhile, Mr Makgelemele informed the meeting that government was working on eradicating the backlog of delayed poverty eradication projects before end of December this year. 

He said assessment and mobilisation had been put on hold to focus on the backlog.

He said the objective was to focus on training and procurement, adding that training would be outsourced.

He said the programme had reeled through its challenges such as shortage of personnel. He said while it was government's responsibility to eradicate poverty, everyone had to ensure that poverty was eradicated. 

He said Boteti Sub-district and Serowe will have one coordinator who would devise poverty eradication interventions.

He urged the councillors to identify a project that could be funded in Boteti, saying every district had its unique features. He however noted that project monitoring remained a challenge.

For his part, Councillor Elijah Motsamai of Xhumo/Mmadikola said Boteti River could be used to boost the economy of Boteti through horticulture. 

He called for an investment portfolio that would allow them to make ends meet through tourism and Councillor Ketshwereng Galeragwe reiterated that Boteti had natural resources that could be exploited to upgrade people’s living standards. Ends