06 Dec 2020

Selebi Phikwe mayor, Mr Lucas Modimana, has implored ward development committees (WDC) to change the town’s economic landscape.

Officiating at the WDCs prize giving ceremony on December 3, he said relying on foreign direct investment to diversify the economy of Selebi Phikwe was not always the best option.

He urged WDCs to be at the forefront of bringing developments to Selebi Phikwe by participating actively in community projects, urging them to come up with comprehensive projects geared towards food security. “It is time to do it ourselves without relying on foreign direct investment,” he said. Mr Modimana said this country could emulate the Chinese model of town and villages enterprise to transform lives.

He said through such a model, China was able to take out 720 million people out of poverty in 1978, adding that China today boasts of a powerful economy being the second largest economy in the world.

“You are the backbone of this town and let us encourage the community to participate actively in community projects in order to boost the economy of this town” Mr Modimana said.  

For his part, one of the judges Mr Keabetswe Mompati said the panel of judges had observed that most committees had a problem of record keeping, that was why some documents were missing.

He also raised concerns that documents were kept at homes of WDC members, urging WDCs to establish offices so that information is kept safe and confidential. 

Mr Mompati also shared that some house leases were not signed by tenants as such it was difficult to take tenants to task in the event they defaulted to pay rent. He also noted that financial statements were also not up to scratch making WDCs susceptible to corruption. He recommended a refresher course for WDC members covering records management and financial management.

He urged community development officers to work closely with WDCs and ensure that record keeping was done without fail. Prior to the award ceremony, SPTC held a conference for WDCs to encourage volunteerism and also to provide a platform for competitiveness.

SPTC’s principal community development officer, Mr Kgomotsego Basaako, said WDCs should actively participate in sustainable development to enhance sustainable livelihoods. 

He said WDCs were in a better position to drive economic recovery and transformation plan by mobilisig the community. Ends