25 Jan 2017

Member of Parliament for Selebi-Phikwe West, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse has called on government to conduct preliminary socio-economic assessment on former BCL Mine employees and the community.

Addressing  Selebi-Phikwe community at Tebogo Primary School recently, Mr Keorapetse said BCL Mine provisional liquidation has had negative impact on the community because many residents had lost their jobs.

He said it was therefore important for government to undertake some assessment exercise to determine how former employees, their families and the mining town were coping after the mine closure and address the situation.

He talked of the need for the National Development Plan (NDP)  11 to outline ways to  to cushion the Selebi- Phikwe community and region after the mine closure.

Further, he said he was concerned that the BCL Mine Hospital was also not operational, thus calling on government to consider resuming operations at the hospital to assist the community and former mine employees who needed medical attention.

The MP acknowledge government commitment to paying school fees for former BCL Mine employees’ children at private schools such as Kopano, Morula and Mount Pleasant Primary School, urging officials to hasten to making good of the promise.

For her part, councillor for Thakadiawa, Ms Evelyn Kgodungwe expressed concern over what she termed delay by government in paying school fees for children of former mine employees in private schools.

Ms Kgodungwe thus advised residents whose children were in private schools and cannot afford the fees to transfer them to government schools.

She also expressed concern about the increasing number of residents who were enrolled on antiretroviral therapy and were defaulting.

She said records from Selebi-Phikwe Hospital indicated that in August last year, about 270 people defaulted from taking medication, 316 and 426 in Septemebr and October respectively.

Thus, she encouraged those on ARV to continue taking their medication.

On other issues, Cllr Kgodungwe indicated that a pharmaceutical plant cell phone as well as laptop/computer assembly plants were expected to be opened in SelebiPhikwe and would create employment for locals.

She further encouraged those interested in setting up tuckshops to register with the council so that they could be allocated market stalls to start their businesses.  

Meanwhile, she indicated that Selebi-Phikwe Town Council was owed high amounts of money from rates and service levy and other services.

Thus, she urged residents to pay their utility bills and service levy for the local authority to be able to further rprovide services as well as bring other developments to the town. BOPA