26 Jul 2020

Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Ms Philda Kereng, has urged Selebi Phikwe leadership to transform the town into a tourist attraction area.

Addressing stakeholders in Selebi Phikwe on July 24, Ms Kereng said her ministry was working round the clock to make the country a number one tourism destination.

She said wildlife tourism alone was not sufficient to generate enough income for the country, hence the need to explore other avenues to diversify the sector.

The minister, therefore, implored Selebi Phikwe leadership including Selebi Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU) to help diversify the tourism sector by identifying tourism attractions in the area such as Letsibogo Dam

Ms Kereng acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the tourism sector, but there was need to look beyond it and vigorously market tourism activities.

She said government was working on a stimulus package to revive the economy, thus encouraging the leadership to go through the revised CEDA guidelines.  She urged them to approach the new guidelines with a positive mind.

She said her ministry had been working on amendment of some laws, which were an impediment to investment in the tourism sector.

She said her ministry had amended the EIA Act, but was yet to be put before Parliament for approval.

SPEDU chief executive officer, Dr Mokubung Mokubung, said the unit had long come up with a water based tourism idea looking at Letsibogo, Thune and Dikgathong dams.

He said there had been some delays in implementing it.

Dr Mokubung further stated that Selebi Phikwe had an agro-processing plant, but it was struggling, hence a requested for the intervention of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

He said if the project was fully supported, it could reduce dependency on South Africa for processed food as well as reduce the import bill.

Dr Mokubung said SPEDU had assisted MOLEMA trust in the Bobirwa area to draft a constitution and strategy, adding that trusts needed to be assisted with funding.

Dr Mokubung said all these initiatives would help prevent rural urban migration as well as promote skills development.
Selebi Phikwe town clerk, Mr Stephen Motlogelwa, said the transformation agenda was a welcome development, which would help Selebi Phikwe revice and diversify its economy.

He said facilities such as a recreational park could be used as a tourism attraction, which could even help lure investors to invest in Selebi Phikwe.

He said the council had also looked into exploiting urban agriculture as another area that could diversify the town’s economy. Mr Motlogelwa also highlighted that the refurbished Selebi Phikwe airport could also help bring investors and tourists into town.

He said the facility was under utilised because of airfields in the SPEDU region. He said the airport could  generate more income if only the other airfields could be closed. ENDS