03 Aug 2022

Batswana have been advised to utilise government programmes such as horticulture impact accelerator subsidy to better their lives and ultimately contribute to the economy.

The import ban of horticultural products can benefit the citizens as evidenced by some youth in the district already supplying some supermarkets such as Spar and Choppies.

Addressing a Kgotla meeting in Selokolela on Tuesday, Kanye Administrative Authority Sub-council chairperson, Mr Simon Ramaphoi said through this subsidy, signs of horticultural sector growth had started showing.

“We should be having locals supplying the school and the whole village,” he said.

He said the sub-sector had the capacity to create employment, as farmers would need workers in the fields.

“There are countless opportunities in the value chain, take advantage of them,” he added.

He appealed to those who had idle ploughing fields to lease them to others, who could productively use them.

Mr Ramaphoi advised the village development committee  to run the affairs of the village according to the law, stressing the need to make written agreements in their dealings with different organisations and individuals.

He said all Kanye Administrative Authority   village development committees combined were owed millions of Pula in rentals, saying written agreements assisted in such situations.

He advised the village development committee to employ all resources available such as the community hall to make funds for the village.

 “There are a lot of events such as weddings, church activities, meetings, that could be hosted at the hall at a certain fee.”

He said the council had realised the need for some Ipelegeng workers to be ecquipped with different skills that were needed in the development of the village, noting that the programme would start next year. 

“There will be no need to import services of different trades after training locals,” he said.

Mr Ramaphoi also informed the residents that next year government would put more focus on maintaining and building of internal roads, where the locals would be consulted on which roads needed to be serviced first.

He further appealed to the residents to keep the environment clean, that all should follow the required process of disposing waste.

“We realised that there were some people who dump waste at grazing lands, which ultimately affect the standard of our meat after cattle had eaten such waste, hence reduced profits to the farmers,” he said.

Responding to Selokolela village development committee   chairperson, Ms Mamotlalepula Suping, who had requested for the number of Ipelegeng vacancies to be increased from 73 to 100, Mr Ramaphoi said the idea was to create an enabling environment for sustainable employment creation as well as businesses, where more people would be absorbed.

Kgosi Keorapetse Legabala said he was also concerned about indiscriminate dumping of waste, requesting that every household should have a rubbish bin, adding that the residents should police one another so that the culprits could be easily brought to book.

He further explained that everyone should attend trainings on the businesses they wanted to venture into, as that would assist in the success of trades.  ENDS