16 Jul 2024

A collaborative approach by government and the private sector in addressing the needs of the general populace is necessary for safeguarding the interests of Batswana as it assures them of a better and more secure future.

Kanye South Member of Parliament, Dr Lemogang Kwape said on Sunday at a donation of building materials for the refurbishment of Kgwatlheng Community Hall in Kanye that a private sector that was responsive to the needs of local communities was an important driver of developments and a key supporter of government’s efforts to improve the lives of its people.

Dr Kwape thus commended Builders Hub hardware store for its generous donation of materials worth P70 000, saying the gesture showed the business’s appreciation of the support that Batswana rendered to it.

“When you invest, you expect a return on investment but you must never forget who walks into your shops to make you successful in your business. Just last week we were doing a ground-breaking of a multi-million Pula clinic courtesy of Trans Africa,” he said, citing a recent ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of a clinic construction project at Sebego ward, still in Kanye.

He said in helping restore the community hall to a state where it could once again benefit the Kanye community, Builders Hub had stirred up the residents’ vitality and hope as once in use the hall would host a diversity of events which would foster the spirit of unity and oneness in locals.

Appealing to other businesses to come on board, Dr Kwape said a lot more work would still need to be undertaken to bring the hall to a usable state given the extensive damage it had undergone.

“We need to secure it once renovated so that people do not vandalise it again. We need to connect water and electricity; we need much more to bring it to a condition that the community can use it,” he said.

Ms Ramadevi Muddasani of Builders Hub said with the immense support that they received from the local community, they felt duty-bound to show appreciation by helping address some of the same community’s pertinent needs.

She said the donation was not a mere gesture of goodwill but was an acknowledgement of the significance of the hall as a gathering place and cornerstone of many community activities.

Ms Muddasani expressed hope that once renovated the hall would have a positive impact on its users and would enhance the lives of members of the community.

Patron of the Kanye Umbrella VDC and local businessman Dr Taolo Moshaga said the collaboration by the VDC and the business community mimicked what the national Mindset Change campaign called for with its A Re Chencheng slogan that enjoined the nation to be inventive in day-to-day engagements.

He said the national anthem itself compelled Batswana to look inwardly and carry squarely on their own shoulders the responsibility to find solutions to their problems.

He said the donation from Builders Hub was evidence of what a broad-minded leadership could achieve for the community, and he commended the VDC for having displayed true leadership in advancing the interests of the people of Kanye.

Kanye District Council, principal community development officer, Ms Onalenna Kaboeamodimo said it was encouraging that after having been out of use for many years, the hall would be restored to a state where it would be of service to the people of Kanye.

She commended the donors for stepping up to the challenge to help the community at a time when the local council could not shoulder the responsibility due to budgetary constraints.

Ms Kaboeamodimo said while the VDC would have loved to have the hall back in use by August, the lack of finances had made the wish impossible.

She however, noted that the support of Builders Hub had given them hope that the renovation would be completed in the not-so-distant future. Ends