15 Dec 2013

Kgalagadi District chairman Mr Frans van der Westhuizen says he is worried by growing levels of poverty in his region.

He told BOPA in an interview Thursday, December 12 that his people needed to desist from too much reliance on Ipelegeng and explore other means of employment which could permanently uplift their lives. Mr van der Westhuizen challenged his people to identify opportunities capable of employing others.

He said such opportunities were existent in the district, and all that was needed was determination. The chairman also challenged the business community to invest in the economy of the district.

He observed that the district was still struggling in the hospitality industry but fared well in small stock rearing. The only problem was that small stock rearing demanded more land than was currently available. On the positive side Mr van der Westhuizen said the people of Kgalagadi had managed to compete well at national level.

He cited beauty queens as well as traditional dance groups as some of those who put the district on the map.  He also stated Kgalagadi was endowed with geographical landscapes different from any in the country, and which could form beautiful tourist attractions. He thus appealed to his people to utilise such opportunities for business endeavors.

For his part, Hukuntsi Sub District chairman Mr Milton Moseru called on the people of Kgalagadi to attend council meetings in order to gauge the competency levels of their representatives.

Mr Moseru also challenged the voters to read and understand the standing orders of the council. He observed that some policies in relation to businesses should be amended or completely repealed to ease doing businesses in the district. ENDS