01 May 2019

Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Nonofo Molefhi had urged government departments and parastatals to positively contribute to the Selebi Phikwe Revitalisation initiative.

Addressing heads of government departments (HODs) in Selebi Phikwe on Tuesday, Mr Molefhi said less had been done to resuscitate the economy of the town since the closure of BCL mine.

He therefore encouraged HODs to ensure that products and services they offered were geared towards Selebi Phikwe revitalisation.

Mr Molefhi, who is also MP for Selebi Phikwe East, informed HODs that he had been appointed the chairperson of the Selebi Phikwe Revitalisation Project and as such he was banking on the accounting officers to help him and his team with information on the ground.

“I can only be assisted by the quality and the nature of reports generated on the ground,” said the minister.

He said the initiative was not a one man show as it needed other stakeholders to own it for the betterment of the lives of Selebi Phikwe residents.

“At individual level you must see yourselves as part of the broader facilitation to ensure that proactive investors are assisted.

You should see yourselves contributing to the efforts of Selebi Phikwe revitalisation,” said Mr Molefhi.

He also urged HODs to identify opportunities to help the residents of Selebi Phikwe to find a niche in various sectors of the economy.

The minister encouraged them to always ensure that government policies such as Economic Diversification Drive (EDD) were adhered to in order to empower the local community.

He said goods should be procured locally to empower the local businesses.

Furthermore, Mr Molefhi highlighted that BCL mine had not found the buyer yet and that discussions between the liquidator and the Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy

Security were still ongoing to see how best they could assist each other find potential investors.

“It is important to see to it that the mine commences businesses,” he said.

For her part, acting town clerk, Ms Baledzi Makubate thanked the minister for always meeting with HODs to find ways to resuscitate the economy of Selebi Phikwe,  which was adversely affected by the closure of BCL Mine.

She said it was important for HODs to work together as a team to achieve this goal.

Ms Makubate said since the closure of the mine, most departments have improved their turn-around time to adequately assist the residents within the set service standards. ENDS