02 Sep 2018

Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration Mr Machana Shamukuni has toured three poverty eradication projects in Francistown to appreciate their performance.

The assistant minister visited the cluster garden at Somerset West Block 1, a bakery project belonging to Mr Joseph Itumeleng in Somerset West Block 2 and a water bottling project at Area G.

At the cluster garden, the assistant minister was impressed by the spirited beneficiary, Mr Botoka Montshiwa who said his project was doing well and that he needed more land to expand.

Mr Montshiwa also requested to be assisted to buy a tractor as he now wants to engage in Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) and feed Batswana.

In response, Mr Shamukuni said government was doing its best to ensure that those who showed aspirations to graduate from poverty were assisted, and that all efforts were made to make that a reality funds permitting.

At the bakery, Mr Itumeleng could not hide his excitement, revealing that his business was also performing well.

He told the minister that he had employed eight people, a driver, two cashiers, a cleaner and bakers.

He further said he supplied an array of customers such as Mater Spei College, Moremogolo Primary School, kinder gardens, Francistown City Council, tuck shops and private companies such as Builders World and Global Lubricants.

The beneficiary, who operates his business in one of his houses, told the assistant minister that his main challenge was a plot to expand his business.

In an separate interview, Mr Itumeleng explained that he had already bought four company vehicles through the project and that in a good month he made up to a P100 000 before deductions of bills and other payments.

The water bottle machinery project was the only one still encountering challenges, which the assistant minister promised to address..

He was told that the bottle machine was still awaiting installation of a part, which has long been ordered but had not been delivered.

Francistown Poverty Eradication coordinator, Mr Louis Mlilo explained that the project, which has 19 beneficiaries, could have started operating last August, but that they had been waiting for the part to be delivered to no avail. ENDS