08 Feb 2017

Young people have been implored to utilize government programmes aimed at empowering them to be able to create employment for themselves and others.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Matsitama on Tuesday, Central District Council (CDC) chairperson councillor Peter Williams said instead of crying foul to the government that there is no employment and many young people are roaming the streets in search of work, young people should make business which will help the government to create employment.

To date despite the uncertainty of the economy the government has established many avenues in which youth can get funding to start their own businesses citing Youth Development Fund and other entities such as Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency.

Councillors further noted that through such initiatives the government was aiming at empowering youth as the future leaders to be able to help the government diversify the economy particularly in this era of uncertainty in prices of commodities that have been able to stabilise the economy of the country.

He urged the young to desist from preferring to get things at ease without having put up efforts to get rewards adding over the years a good number of young people were employed at ipelegeng programme.  

And even if employed there on rotational basis instead of saving to have funds which they could use to register their businesses they instead spend almost all their monies on social activities which have nothing to offer for the future.

The chairman however noted that compared to their elders employed in the same programme of ipelegeng many of them have built houses and even started their small business from their payments of the programme.  
Meanwhile young people said at times seeking help at the offices becomes a disappointment since some officers are not willing to give their time to explain how one should go about filling the forms.

And they said since they have to travel to service centres in their case almost 200 kilometres to Tutume to get help which also comes with costs if they have to make more trips, money becomes a challenge. ENDS