04 Aug 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has regressed all efforts made to resuscitate the economy of Selebi Phikwe.

The observation was made by Selebi Phikwe town council mayor, Mr Lucas Modimana in an interview recently.

With BCL mine no more, the community of Selebi Phikwe  was struggling to find employment, many of whom lost their jobs when the mine went under, he said.

Government, he said, had made it its mission to bring the town back to life by hosting activities in Selebi Phikwe, an attempt that boosted the town’s economy and created employment for residents.

Activities such as Toyota Desert Race, Softball Extravaganza and Selebi Phikwe Marathon attracted many people to the town and in the process, hotels, guest houses and grocery stores benefitted, he said.

Mr Modimana said the activities had to be suspended due to COVID-19 which meant loss of revenue and ultimately retrenchments which would have a negative impact on the town’s economy.

Travellers Guesthouse owner, Ms Florence Mosweu is among those whose businesses are struggling to stay afloat because of COVID-19.

Before the pandemic, Ms Mosweu said she cashed in on events that were hosted in Selebi Phikwe by government, parastatals and the private sector.

“Even though we were hit hard by the closure of the BCL mine, we were beginning to recover because more events were coming to Selebi Phikwe resulting in a high demand for accommodation,” she said.

One of the big events she expected to boost her business this year was the Toyota Desert Race commonly known as Mmantshwabisi.

The event was scheduled for June but with COVID-19, it did not materialise.

“Last year Mmantshwabisi attracted multitudes of people to our town and that boosted our businesses. The demand for accommodation was very high this year,” stated Ms Mosweu.

The disruption caused by the pandemic, Ms Mosweu said, had made it difficult for her to service her bank loan and pay her five employees.

She said lack of business had forced some hotels and lodges in Selebi Phikwe to reduce prices to attract customers thus impacting on their survival.

Ms Mosweu said wedding celebrations also boosted their businesses and their suspension had negatively affected them.

Where possible, she said, government and the private sector should take events to Selebi Phikwe to boost the hospitality industry.

Sesame Guest House manager, Ms Basha Kootsene said the first three weeks after lockdown were the hardest as there were no guests.

“Before COVID-19, we were able to host meetings and conferences but all these are no more,” stated Ms Kootsene.

She said even though her business had not fully recovered, the situation was not as bad as in the months of May and June.

Ms Kootsene said the industry was gradually recovering and was thankful the guest house managed to retain all its employees despite the hardships. Ends