17 Feb 2019

Motswedi Savings and Credit Co-operative Society (SACCOS) general manager has urged government employees to join the co-operative.

Speaking in an interview, Ms Onalenna Moshabi, said Motswedi SACCOS was a co-operative society for employees in the ministries of agricultural development and food security as well as investment, trade and industry, but would soon transform in order to accommodate other departments and parastatals.

Ms Moshabi said the cooperative started in the early 80s and so far, had around 3 200 members, who contributed from as little as P50.

She said it gave one an opportunity to save regularly thus instilling a saving culture.

She said a member’s voice mattered in the cooperative decision making process.

She said Motswedi SACCOS was registered and regulated by the Department for Co-operative Development, which guided its operations, investment options and governance structures.

Ms Moshabi said members qualified for loans of up to four times a person’s savings, with less stringent terms and conditions at a competitive and affordable rate.

She said they had different savings accounts, adding that they had so far accumulated around P145 million, which they used to give loans to their members.

For her part, Motswedi marketing manager, Ms Priscillah Rabasimane, said they conducted community outreach projects around the country to educate people about the cooperative and even take part in expos.

She said they also belong to African Confederation of Savings and Credit Associations (ACOSCA).

Consequently, they attended annual training workshops where they met to share business skills about their respective cooperatives.

Ms Rabasimane said they advertised the cooperative on social media platforms, where they gave regular updates and interact with customers and those interested in knowing about services offered.

She said they recently donated toiletry hampers worth P50 000 to Shadishadi and Sehunuo primary schools.

A member of SACCOS, Ms Maria Kazondunge, called on the youth to join such cooperatives, adding that as the future of the country; they should take part in cooperatives as a means of growing the economy.

Ms Kazondunge called on government to introduce cooperatives in the school curriculum so that children could learn about them at an early age, revealing that in other countries such as Zambia, children were already engaged in cooperatives. ENDS