20 Nov 2016

The minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Slumber Tsogwane, has encouraged Batswana to make use of the Rural Development Council  (RDC) to stimulate economic activity in their localities.

Addressing residents of Kubung recently, the minister stated that his ministry had realised that majority of people were not aware of the existence of the council.  

This, he said, had came to the fore after they had hosted a radio programme that deliberated on various services offered at the ministry. He said they received a lot of calls from the public saying they were not aware that such a structure exists.

The minister also explained that upon this realisation his office found it imperative to educate the public about various structures  within the ministry that offer services that could  benefit them.

Therefore, Minister Tsogwane explained that the Rural Development Council was formed in 1972 by government in an effort to ensure that rural-development projects benefitted communities.

By identifying development projects and implementing them could reduce rural-urban migration as the said projects could be turned into investment opportunities and ultimately create employment in rural areas. 

The minister has further explained that this can be achieved by taking advantage of special economic zones program which also enforces the mandate of the rural development council which prioritises economic diversification by taking advantage of natural resources.

The minister has further explained that the council has thus far done a lot in carrying out research in rural areas to identify projects that could be done to improve the economic landscape of such areas.  He gave an example of zutshwa salt project which is now the lifeline of the village.

He further mentioned that RDC supports indigenous knowledge and efforts are ongoing to introduce technology in order to preserve indigenous knowledge of various tribes in the country.

Minister Tsogwane has further revealed that a special fund named Botswana Research Fund has been set aside to carry out research for developmental projects in rural areas in NDP 11 so as to fast track these programmes which can ultimately create employment opportunities for many.  

Therefore Batswana have been urged to partner with the council by forming trusts so as to identify projects which can benefit their localities.

On other issues, the minister has informed residents that government is concerned about child neglect.  He said that a lot of parents were neglecting their children and hide behind the children’s act which they claim deny them (parents) rights over their children. ENDS