07 Apr 2016

Lobatse mayor, Ms Malebogo Kruger says she is hopeful that the setting up of  manufacturing companies in the town will boost the economy.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Lobatse, Ms Kruger told Newlook residents that she has high hopes that Lobatse’s landscape of doing business would change for the better with the coming in of companies such as Milk Afric, PASDEC as well as the envisaged leather park.

Ms Kruger informed residents that operations at both Milk Afric and PASDEC, a vehicle wiring company, have already started employing residents.

She also said the leather park was still at the Environmental Impact Assessment stage. The companies, she added, would change the economic landscape of the town and improve the employment rate, especially among the youth.

She revealed that the town council education committee, which was led by Woodhall councillor Mr Molaodi Mantle, has come up with a strategy where one youth from each ward would be selected for training in yoghurt making.

The trained youth would in turn use milk produced from Milk Afric for yoghurt making. She said as the town’s political leaders, they have been in talks with the companies to give priority to Lobatse residents in their employment plan.

She, however, noted that each organisation has its own employment plan, and that they were more interested in employing qualified personnel, adding that they could not just consider Lobatse residents only.

On issues of water supply, Ms Kruger said she was hopeful that the situation would improve as recent rains have increased dam levels.

She said reports show that Gaborone Dam was at 19 per cent, while Nngwane Dam was full.

Ms Kruger said she has a road map on service delivery which she drew when she became the town mayor.

She said through community service, pitso ya bo mme, pitso ya dikereke, kgotla meetings and road shows, she aims to take services to the people, and that a platform was provided where council employees could interact with the community.

Residents complained about the high rate of crime in their area and the mayor promised to forward the issue to relevant authorities for solution.

They also complained about the lack of a sewage systems and were informed that the government was in the process of phasing out pit latrines and replacing them with water operated systems.

Area councillor, Mr Mosimanekgotla Botanka thanked the ward leadership for working as a team in taking developments to the people.

Cllr Botanka said through team work, the ward held successful kgotla meetings and moved forward in developing the ward.

He said some of the people in his ward have benefitted from the Department of Gender Affairs funds as they got assistance for starting toilet paper and peanut butter businesses.

He also implored organisations and businesses to make it a priority in their procurement plans to buy from the businesses for their sustenance. Ends