11 Dec 2023

The SK Lopang Foundation in partnership with Abaricom have provided free Internet services for use by the community of Selebi Phikwe. 

Three internet sites, being the Phikwe mall, Area 2 ball sports courts and market shelters near Leseding Supermarket, have been set up, commissioned and currently open for use by members of the public.

“Our aim is to increase these free Internet hotspots to 10 so that more areas in town have access to free internet,” said the SK Lopang Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dumi Lopang during the launch of the free Internet hotspots held at the Anne Adams Park recently. 

Mr Lopang explained that the SK Lopang Foundation aimed to transform lives through impactful community partnerships.

Thus, the foundation partnered with Abaricom to complement the government in providing free internet hotspots to the community of Selebi Phikwe. 

He urged members of the community to start looking beyond the closed BCL Mine by changing their mindset to explore other avenues that could help resuscitate the economy of the town. 

He said Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was a game changer that required everybody to see themselves as part of the global community. 

He urged the youth, in particular, to take advantage of the available free internet hotspots to market their businesses internationally as well as explore employment opportunities. 

Mr Lopang called for proper usage of the available free internet hotspots to transform lives, urging the youth to desist from using Internet for leisure only. 

He also explained that users were only allowed to use the Internet for a maximum of two hours to enable other users to benefit from the free internet. 

In addition, he commended the government for being at the forefront of digitalising the  country through SmartBots, giving the nation an opportunity to have free internet access in schools, clinics and customary courts. 

Mr Lopang also donated P10 000 worth of stock to 16 small businesses to help them sustain their families. 

For his part, the Head of Strategy and Sustainability for Abaricom, Mr Mbaki Chalegwa said the free internet hotspots created an opportunity for the community to turn their lives around and be part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). 

“Use these hotspots to your benefit,” he urged. Miss Selebi Phikwe, Ms Elsie Masere noted that this new development would benefit the youth in many ways and would address a lot of challenges that the youth were facing. 

She thanked the SK Lopang Foundation for giving back to the community of Selebi-Phikwe, adding that this would go a long way in transforming communities positively. ends