09 Feb 2020

Government recognises and advocates for active stakeholder participation in empowering citizen’s, says Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Dumezweni Mthimkhulu.

He said this during the cattle raffle giveaway by Western Furnitures in Mogoditshane on February 8.

He applauded the company for the initiative, saying it complimented the government’s plan of ensuring that locals participated in the economy through various sectors such as agriculture.

“Western Furnitures has over the past 23 years of its existence deliberately developed a culture of giving back to its customers, a move that the government encourages. The gifts will significantly change the lives of the recipients and inculcate the spirit of entrepreneurship,” he said.

Mr Mthimkhulu further said government alone could not adequately and consistently provide for all citizens, and that the involvement of other stakeholders was appreciated to help turn the situation around.

He noted that the 23 cattle would be given to customers from Gaborone and the surrounding areas. He added that 12 had already been given to other customers from eight different branches across the country, thus making a total of 35 cattle.

“This is also encouraging because the cattle that are awarded to the lucky winners are sourced from local farmers. This is commendable as this initiative benefits many people including those who are not their customers,” he said.

Mr Mthimkhulu also said it was commendable that Western Furnitures, together with its sister companies, have employed over 250 permanent staff members of whom 98 per cent were Batswana. 

He added that the company has also employed the youth who make a huge percentage of the unemployment in the country.

 He urged the winners to use the cattle to make meaningful changes in their lives. He also urged them to continue supporting Western Furnitures so that it could continue giving back to empower people.

 Welcoming guests, Kgosi Alfred Dihutso of Mogoditshane said Western Furnitures had for the past years been giving back to the community, adding that they had even donated two houses to less privileged families in Mogoditshane.

 For his part, the chief executive officer of Western Furnitures, Mr Devdeven said the main purpose of the event was to award 23 cattle winners from Gaborone and the surrounding areas. 

He said the idea behind giving cattle was to embrace the culture of Batswana. ends