20 Jun 2023

 Kanye District Council is dedicated to implementing local empowerment schemes which will ultimately contribute to the creation of employment opportunities.

Speaking at the opening of the full council meeting on Monday, the Council Chairperson, Cllr  Mpho Dithole, said to date P9.1 million had been spent by the council, with P6.5 million spent on local suppliers and contractors.

“It is important to note that the remaining expenditure of P2.6 million was for payments of goods and services that were not available locally,” he said.

Cllr Dithole appealed to all government institutions in the Kanye District to assist enterprises operating in the district in gaining competitiveness which would subsequently trigger job creation.

“We also need to enhance our collaboration on trade finance for Batswana who have been contracted to do business with government. This will promote the establishment of medium to large scale projects such as manufacturing, which will contribute to national priorities such as job creation and food sustainability,” he said.

Cllr Dithole said the council continued to implement programmes that contributed to employment creation and income generation for local communities, resulting in an improvement in the well-being of the people.

The Kanye District received 20 applications to keep game in ploughig fields, out of which 10 were approved and issued permits. All the 27 Youth Development Fund projects approved in the 2022/2023 financial year were funded before the end of the year, and beneficiaries received training in business management.

He said for the financial year 2022/2023, CEDA funded 106 businesses with P5 869 366. Out of those businesses, 54 were under Letlhabile and 10 under Mabogo Dinku and the remaining were funded under CEDA mainline.

The projects have created 135 jobs: 95 females;  40 males; and  38 youth.

In its efforts to support enterprise development, Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) was overseeing 44 projects in the Kanye District. Mr Dithole said those enterprises had generated sales revenue amounting to P4. 1 million by May 2023.

He noted that LEA had provided business advisory services to those enterprises, including facilitating business plans to access finance, training and mentoring, access to research information, business monitoring and coaching, market access, product testing for quality assurance and capacity building.

Mr Dithole said insufficient business experience and technical skills could result in project failures, despite training and mentoring being provided to beneficiaries, adding that the council had also observed cases of mismanagement and diversion of project funds by beneficiaries or promoters, as well as abandonment and lack of commitment to projects, which defeated the purpose of those programmes.

With regard to advancing the prospects of a knowledge based economy, he said the council continued to improve human capital development. 

The council had prioritized acquisition of new skills and retooling of staff in areas that had been identified as critical for improving the performance of the economy.

“These skills can serve as a useful conveyor belt to create a community of self-employed individuals,” he said. He noted  that enhancing the quality of education is of utmost importance.

Addressing the Presidential Reset Agenda Priority Number 3 of "Digitalization," aimed at producing 21st century learners who are conversant with Information Communication Technology (ICT), Mr Dithole said all Form 5 students had been supplied with laptops, and logistics for supplying Form 4 students were currently underway.

“It is hoped that this initiative will be extended to junior schools and eventually to upper primary schools in due course,” he said.

Cllr Dithole said the council was committed to improving basic education outcomes. All primary schools in the district were offering reception class programme.

However, because of lack of infrastructure, most schools could not accommodate all the learners eligible for standard one the following year.

“We remain hopeful that funds permitting, the council will consider constructing more classrooms to accommodate more learners,” he said.

The district continued to provide Early Childhood Services to communities through the establishment of Day Care Centres and Structured Play and Stimulation Groups.

He said the council registered 44 day care centres, of which, 30 are operational, while 14 have closed over the years due to various reasons, including non-compliance. These centres have enrolled 1 185 children,  employed 82 qualified teachers, 24 unqualified teaching assistants, and 73 support staff. Ends