02 Nov 2021

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Eric Molale has challenged Bray community to run their community ranch at Banyana Farms as a business.

Speaking during a kgotla meeting addressed by President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi at Bray recently, he said the community should practice00 farming as a business for them to optimally benefit from the ranch that had potential to also change the economic landscape of the village.

He urged residents to be ready to run the ranch independently, be hands-on in improving the standard and quality of their lives and desist from being spectators when government assist them.

He said it was imperative to engage locals with expertise to run the ranch and only solicit help from other areas in competencies not locally available.

He cited erecting a fence, noting that locals should be engaged in building the boundary fence and demarcating paddocks.

Government has allocated Bray community over 4 000 hectares ranch at Banyana Farms considering that their village was encircled by commercial ranches, leaving them with literally no pastures and ploughing fields despite that agriculture is the mainstay of rural economies.

For his part, Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi said the ranch was an opportunity for residents to improve the quality of their lives.

He cited a community ranch in Mmadinare dubbed Mannaesi, which he said was injecting large sums of money into the economy of the villagers, adding that they had accrued over P1 million thus far through rentals as they were leasing the land to private agriculturalists.

He said the project also created employment for communities in and around Mmadinare, and was optimistic Bray ranch would also bring in some income, create employment and attract investment into the area.

In an endevour to improve livelihoods of the residents, Mr Molebatsi said the ministry, through Local Entreprise Authority, would offer mentoring and on-site coaching as well as use a benchmarking model to teach residents how best to run the ranch to optimise output.

He said such a move would eradicate poverty and improve the residents’ lives.

He said to that effect economic inclusion law was enacted with a view to promoting the effective participation of citizens in the economic growth and development of the economy, adding that the law binds government departments to buy services and commodities within their localities for citizen empowerment purposes.

Ms Nelly Moapare, a resident of Bray, thanked President Masisi  for executing his road map meticulously thus far, adding that the President responded at the right time to save Batswana from the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said vaccines were procured and distributed countrywide to frustrate the spread of the plague that could otherwise had claimed masses had it not been for the sound leadership of Dr Masisi.

Molopo Farmers Association representative, Mr Rudi Pretorius thanked government for providing amenities to the community and for checking on them.

The President donated 300 food hampers to residents to cushion them from the impact of COVID-19. ENDS