06 Oct 2019

 Poverty eradication beneficiaries have been urged not to frustrate government efforts of tackling poverty. 

Speaking during poverty eradication’s mass packaging and training at Kuke on October 5, Ghanzi East Administrative Authority deputy district commissioner, Mr Patrick Tlotleng told the 50 beneficiaries who received small stock not to let down government efforts of eradicating abject poverty and dignifying the lives Batswana. 

Mr Tlotleng said it was incumbent upon beneficiaries to break the poverty cycle by jealously looking after their small stock and grow their projects with the goal of graduating from poverty to become independent. 

He said poverty eradication projects had the potential to be sustainable businesses and a source of employment if given the seriousness they deserved. Such opportunities, he said would ease the burden on the Ipelegeng programme when beneficiaries commit to employment opportunities of poverty eradication programmes rather than going into Ipelegeng. 

He encouraged beneficiaries to work as a team, saying that team-work builds morale and was a source of inspiration. 

Ghanzi East senior assistant council secretary, Mr Thatayotlhe Balapi implored beneficiaries to be good shepherds of their small stock as opposed to being their predators. He said if beneficiaries could 

grow their projects, the dependency syndrome and criminal activities would abate. 

Poverty eradication coordinator, Mr Dominic Botshelo stressed government’s commitment to eradicate extreme poverty, saying government wanted to see people graduating from poverty. 

Through mass packaging and training, he said they would deal with the backlog, adding that the initiative was also to promote the exploitation of value chain dividends. 

Mr Botshelo said equipping beneficiaries with business skills alongside record keeping was to make their business sustainable, and he encouraged those who could not read and write to enroll with OSET. Department of Veterinary Services official, Mr Golebaone Mosweu enlightened beneficiaries about diseases as well as vaccines of small stock. ENDS