02 Apr 2019

African Alliance chief executive director, Mr Sean Rasebotsa has implored the private sector to support  poverty eradication beneficiaries in Kgalagadi District to create avenues for both local and foreign investors to support the government initiative.

Mr Rasebotsa was speaking during the Kgalagadi District Council (KDC) excellence awards recently.

He called on the leadership and employees of Kgalagadi District Council to embrace all contributing factors towards  government’s objective and avail opportunities where investors could work hand in hand with poverty eradication programme beneficiaries to create wealth.

He said that could only materialise if avenues were availed to ensure locally produced goods and services were bought by supporting companies.

He said procurement plans should be put in place to facilitate supporting beneficiaries of all government social upliftment programmes, including buying from people with disability as well as the youth who had taken the Youth Development Fund.

“Unless we support these beneficiaries to the best of our ability, their businesses will never grow and hence unemployment which government is fighting hard to curb,” he said.

With regards to the theme: Development of Kgalagadi District through a motivated and customer centric workforce: Towards Vision 2036 as a transformational agenda, Mr Rasebotsa said the human resource capital played a critical role in the development of Botswana’s economy, and that investment in it could be used to produce workers that drive growth across all economic sectors.

He said it was, therefore, imperative for the leadership to continuously nurture  valued asserts in all ways possible such as availing a conducive working environment where they were mentored and their ideas embraced.

Mr Rasebotsa also hailed the Kang village infrastructure project as a success in the Kgalagadi District as it was progressing well.

The project currently stands at 77 per cent of the planned 81 per cent.

The leader of the project, Mr Gabriel Mpofu was awarded two awards by the Kgalagadi District Council secretary, Ms Baipelelang Photlokwe and the council chairperson, Mr Meleko Thumpe for his sound management of the project.

The overall employee of the year award was scooped by Ms Winnie Kediseng, a social worker who was rewarded for resuscitating and implementing all government programmes and policies at Inalegolo, hence giving life to the rural area.

For her part, Ms Photlokwe said the mission of the KDC was to be a model of excellence and to deliver social development services to improve communities.

“We want to develop the council towards a motivated customer centric workforce towards Vision 2036.

We want to encourage each other and celebrate our achievement as council through these awards,” she said, adding that employees who continued to serve with diligence despite the odds were duly recognised for their exceptional contribution towards attainment of the mission.

For his part,  Mr Thumpe appreciated employees for their concerted efforts in serving the people of Kgalagadi District and encouraged those who did not receive the awards to also put more effort. Ends