07 Aug 2018

Sankoyo Tshwaragano Management Trust has paid an amount of P55 000 as dividends towards the upkeep of the elderly people in Sankoyo village.

The Trust, which operates a number of campsites in the deltas, entered into agreement with the community in 2009 to assist unemployed elderly people who are over 55 years old with allowance from their profit every year.

According to the trust manager, Mr Tuelo Bapedi 48 elders would receive P1145.83 from the amount with a possibility of the money increasing next year depending on the profit they had made. Out of the 48, 35 are women while 13 are men.

He also said eligible elders should be from Sankoyo and actively involved with village activities and its development.

Mr Bapedi however said the fund was temporarily halted in 2012 as a result of poor performance from the businesses as well as the hunting ban.

Although the hunting ban was still enforced, Mr Bapedi said the Trust source of income was their Kazinkini Campsite and the lease fees of their NG34 and NG33 concessions.

‘‘We lease our concessions to private operators and companies and as for now we have leased our NG34 to Smart Stone (High Valley Tourism Tour) for 15 years,’’ he said.

He added that the Kazinkini Campsite brought income from camping sites, game drive and cultural village tours .

Mr Bapedi said the Trust has also decided to help the community by building toilets and water connection for every household. Sankoyo village has a population of 420 people according to the latest population sensuous.

‘’In recent years the trust managed to build toilets for 20 households and we are going to continue to build more until everyone has a toilet,’’ said Mr Bapedi.

Mr Bapedi said this year the trust had resolved to connect water for 19 households, a continuation from the 40 households which were connected in 2007.

The 19 households’ water connection according to Mr Bapedi cost the trust a total of over P44 000.

In assisting the community, Mr Bapedi said they encouraged companies that were doing business with the Trust to employ the local people as a way of job creation.

Kgosi Gokgathang Moalosi, of Sankoyo village applauded the Trust for showing commitment and loyalty towards the development of his village.

‘’We all know that the Sankoyo community and the Trust have agreed on the fund issue many years back but to see them deliver as promised is a great achievement for them,’’ he said.

Kgosi Moalosi further called on the government to empower Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) so that they could help create employment for the communities they operated in and the country at large.

He said over the years Sankoyo Tshwaragano Management Trust through Kazinkini Campsites and their NG34, 33 concessions had employed over 100 people in Sankoyo Village and around the country. Kgosi Moalosi said that the Trust  had trained many people from the village in various tourism related courses and that some of them were working in the Tourism sectors around the country adding that if the government could engage and empower CBNRM, more would be achieved regarding people’s livelihoods.Sankoyo Tshwaragano Management Trust has paid an amount of P55 000 as dividends towards the upkeep of the elderly people in Sankoyo village.

The Trust, which operates a number of campsites in the deltas, entered into agreement with the community in 2009 to assist unemployed elderly people who are over 55 years old with allowance from their profit every year.

According to the trust manager, Mr Tuelo Bapedi 48 elders would receive P1145.83 from the amount with a possibility of the money increasing next year depending on the profit they had made. Out of the 48, 35 are women while 13 are men.

He also said eligible elders should be from Sankoyo and actively involved with village activities and its development.

Mr Bapedi however said the fund was temporarily halted in 2012 as a result of poor performance from the businesses as well as the hunting ban.

Although the hunting ban was still enforced, Mr Bapedi said the Trust source of income was their Kazinkini Campsite and the lease fees of their NG34 and NG33 concessions.

‘‘We lease our concessions to private operators and companies and as for now we have leased our NG34 to Smart Stone (High Valley Tourism Tour) for 15 years,’’ he said.

He added that the Kazinkini Campsite brought income from camping sites, game drive and cultural village tours .

Mr Bapedi said the Trust has also decided to help the community by building toilets and water connection for every household. Sankoyo village has a population of 420 people according to the latest population sensuous.

‘’In recent years the trust managed to build toilets for 20 households and we are going to continue to build more until everyone has a toilet,’’ said Mr Bapedi.

Mr Bapedi said this year the trust had resolved to connect water for 19 households, a continuation from the 40 households which were connected in 2007.

The 19 households’ water connection according to Mr Bapedi cost the trust a total of over P44 000.

In assisting the community, Mr Bapedi said they encouraged companies that were doing business with the Trust to employ the local people as a way of job creation.

Kgosi Gokgathang Moalosi, of Sankoyo village applauded the Trust for showing commitment and loyalty towards the development of his village.

‘’We all know that the Sankoyo community and the Trust have agreed on the fund issue many years back but to see them deliver as promised is a great achievement for them,’’ he said.

Kgosi Moalosi further called on the government to empower Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) so that they could help create employment for the communities they operated in and the country at large.

He said over the years Sankoyo Tshwaragano Management Trust through Kazinkini Campsites and their NG34, 33 concessions had employed over 100 people in Sankoyo Village and around the country. Kgosi Moalosi said that the Trust  had trained many people from the village in various tourism related courses and that some of them were working in the Tourism sectors around the country adding that if the government could engage and empower CBNRM, more would be achieved regarding people’s livelihoods. ends