01 Jun 2026

The Selebi Phikwe Town Council remains committed to prioritising food resources for all local primary schools, despite navigating tight financial constraints.

Addressing a full council meeting recently, town mayor, Mr Oageng Makgosa assured residents that the welfare of students remained a priority.

Mr Makgosa revealed that the council had already spent over P1 million on food resources through a tendering process that empowered the local community and benefitted 565 women-owned and 107 youth-owned companies.

He, however, acknowledged that there were a few supply chain hurdles despite efforts to allocate such resources efficiently.

He added that production constraints continued to affect the supply of 340ml UHT milk across schools.

Meanwhile, he said previous issues with sugar supplies had now been resolved through micro-procurement, backed by new weekly stock monitoring to prevent future deficits.

He further indicated that the education sector faced challenges regarding materials, as the council had allocated over P1.5 million for stationery and equipment this financial year.

The figure, he said was lower than the previous budget, leading the council to anticipate a significant shortage of school supplies.

In light of the shortfalls, the mayor expressed gratitude to corporate donors stepping in to bridge the gap.

He said NexMetal Mining Corporation donated essential stationery items, including photocopying paper, notebooks and scribblers.

Additionally, he said FNB Botswana donated P75,000 to the hard-hit Special Education Unit to construct a poultry house, stocked it with layer chickens and provided feed, which would offer vital hands-on practical skills for special education learners.

However, the mayor emphasised that lack of specialised transportation remained a critical issue for the Special Education Unit, thus urged stakeholders to assist in securing the vital resource for the learners.

On other issues, Mr Makgosa told the meeting that the Youth Friendly Clinic initiative at Selebi Phikwe Senior Secondary School was heading in the right direction, with various stakeholders continuing to pledge monetary and material support to fully furnish the facility.

Meanwhile, Mr Makgosa raised concerns over rampant illegal waste dumping on the outskirts of the town.

He said the authority was currently ill-equipped to handle the crisis due to shortage of machinery, particularly a front-end loader for clearing large volumes of debris.

He further urged collaborative efforts from community and corporate stakeholders to mobilise resources, tackle the waste problem as well as restore a cleaner and healthier environment for all Selebi Phikwe residents.ends