22 Aug 2021

The closure of BCL mine did not only affect Selebi Phikwe town but the lives of communities living in peripheral villages as well.

During the mine’s productive days, such communities benefited from the spill overs such as  rentals and running small businesses.

The same cannot be said anymore since the mine went under in 2016.

However, government did not fold its arms when the catastrophe befell the town and its peripheries.

The district commissioner’s office mobilised communities of Tobane and Robelela to start projects that would cushion them from poverty and address unemployment, birthing a poultry production project in Robelela which now is the hope and pride of the community.

Established March this year, Sekao Poultry Production, still in its embryonic stage, has two big poultry houses with 500 layer chickens and some equipment.

Plans are underway to increase stock to 1 500 chickens.

“Prior to starting this project we had no permanent employment.It was very hard to sustain our families with the little that we got from Ipelegeng since we worked on rotational basis,” project chairperson, Mr Bampoloki Molaodi said in an interview.

Work arrangement is such that while some do eight hours, the 10 community members running the project work 24/7 in order to closely monitor the project.

Mr Molaodi explained that they worked two shifts, morning and evening, to properly care for the chickens.

“Poultry production is sensitive. It requires hard work, dedication and commitment to prosper,” he said.

Working harmoniously as a team, he said was the number one requite for a successful community project and the team looked well on its way to achieving its dreams, to see it flourishing into an enterprise big enough to supply the whole SPEDU region.

Being the sole poultry project in Robelela, Sekao enjoys support from the entire village with sales going at P12 for a size three dozen and P18 for size one and two.

Surrounding villages such of Mmadinare and Tshokwe are supportive of the project.

Another project is Tobane Cluster Garden, one of the promising poverty eradication projects in Mmadinare constituency, engineered to better the lives of a selected population of the village.

Situated on the banks of Motloutse River, the three hectare garden commenced production in 2017 with a variety of vegetables such as tomatoes, beetroot, spinach, rape and onions.

“We have been doing well but things turned sour last year resulting in some members abandoning the project,” said project chairperson, Mr Oabile Lesego.

New members were recruited to resuscitate the project that has been the mainstay of the village.

“I and my new group are starting the project afresh, I believe we have what it takes to resuscitate this project,” Mr Lesego stated, adding that production started July with spinach and rape due for harvest in August. ends