08 Jan 2017

As the 2016 curtains went down and 2017 is a new dawn for Selebi Phikwe while the town is on its transition stage after the closure of BCL Mine where close to 5000 jobs were lost, all is not lost for the mining town, says Mayor of Selebi Phikwe Mr Amogelang Mojuta.

In an interview, the mayor said Selebi Phikwe is not going to become a ghost town as some have thought but rather the town and region will thrive in future .

He said investments have been earmarked to take place and help the town and the region to resuscitate, diversify, grow and develop its economy.

He mentioned that the closure of BCL Mine was eminent and the government and Batswana in general have always known that mineral resources are a finite resource and at some point in time mines including the BCL Mine would close.

He said time had come for the closure of the  BCL Mine which meant that other sources to keep the town and region afloat had to be put in place.

He mentioned that many families were affected by the closure of the mine which was the main contributor to the economy of the town and surrounding areas.

He said SPEDU and the local authority (Selebi Phikwe Town Council) were working round the clock to resuscitate the economy of the region by luring investors, adding that SPEDU has been given authority to allocate land to investors to speed up the setting up of businesses.

Mr Mojuta went on to state that a pharmaceutical plant will be setup in the mining town and is expected to create around 1 000 jobs.

He also mentioned that some investors have shown interest in expanding the Selebi Phikwe Airport further and convert it into a cargo airport where cargo will land in Selebi Phikwe to undergo customs procedures before being flown out to other parts of the country and other destinations in the southern part of Africa.

At the same time, investors have shown interest in using the airport as a flying or piloting school.

The mayor further explained that two cell phone manufacturing companies are due to setup assembly plants in Selebi Phikwe where close to 800 jobs will be created.

In addition, an information technology company dealing in software development and assembly of laptops and computers has been earmarked to be setup in Selebi Phikwe where more jobs will be created.
He added that SPEDU is currently working with investors to setup another mall or a shopping centre in the mining town.

SPEDU he said has also facilitated the establishment of an Agro Processing Plant that produces bottled food stuff such as tomato sauce, archer, pickled as well as dried vegetable among other products and the organization will grow as time goes on to create more jobs.

SPEDU is also currently working on the electrification of farms along the Motloutse River to boost horticulture in particular to feed the nation with fruits and vegetables and also to provide more produce for the Agro Processing Plant.

In addition, he said Pula Steel Plant in which SPEDU played a pivotal role in its establishment will upgrade its production.

He said CEDA has pledged to assist Pula Steel financially to help the organization reach its potential.

The mayor further mentioned that since Selebi Phikwe is fortunate to be surrounded by four dams namely Letsibogo Dam in Mmadinare, Dikgatlhong Dam in Robelela, Thune Dam in the Bobirwa area and Lotsane in the Tswapong areas which make the SPEDU region, SPEDU has plans in place to have tourism facilities around the said dams and areas.

He said hotels, lodges and other recreational facilities have been planned to be setup around the dams. Also at the dams, water sports and tourism will take place to lure visitors and tourists to the places. “SPEDU has plans in place to have fishing sport, sailing, boat cruises, bird watching and game viewing and have camp sites around the dams,” he said. He said a fish farm will also be setup in Mmadinare.

He also said horticulture projects will also be set up around the dams to promote agriculture and food security.”
All these projects earmarked for SPEDU region will have positive impact on the economy of the region," he said.

Mr Mojuta further stated that in Selebi Phikwe, the Selebi Phikwe Town Council is planning to have the town’s stadium upgraded so as to host major events.

He also indicated that a sport auditorium is also needed in the mining town to promote indoor sports.

He encouraged residents of the mining town and surrounding areas to ake advantage of the coming  opportunities . ENDS