Onalenna Modikwa
30 October 2009
Selebi-Phikwe — For years now, the government has been trying to diversify the economy from mining as the resources will certainly run out some day.But with little success being registered in its endeavours, it is not a secret that the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the country are increasingly threatened by the depletion of mineral resources, including the 50,000 population of Selebi-Phikwe.
With approximately 10 more years left of BCL Mine's lifespan, Government last year appointed long-time civil servant, Kago Moshashane, to coordinate and fast track the diversification of the economy of this copper-nickel mining town.
Moshashane admits that "it is not something juicy" and that people must appreciate that they are working hard to ensure implementation of the recommendations of a consultancy carried out in 2006.
"I have a legacy to see something visible out of this and I want to leave a mark here in Phikwe by which to be remembered" he says. "I would like to see a situation where people come and spend weekends here." He adds that people must appreciate that one does not just wake up to see economic fortunes; one must work hard to persuade and change the mindset of the people to convince them to invest in 'Phikwe.
The Selebi-Phikwe's Economic Diversification Unit, an initiative by the government whose projects are funded by the European Union, the main objective being the town's survival after the imminent mine closure. However, the mine has been prospecting around the town and discovered more ore that could extend its operations. With the EU's input, the mine has managed to survive when it did not make any profit.
Since Moshashane's arrival, there has been recruitment of project officers to complement the efforts of the already available advisors and support staff to push the diversification drive ahead. "Upon my arrival here, we had a look at what had been ongoing and the majority of projects were at an infancy stage," he says. Ongoing projects included a leisure and recreation study of Letsibogo Dam and the another study looking at the tourism potential of the region that embraces the two constituencies of Selebi-Phikwe as well as Mmadinare, Bobirwa and Tswapong North. The study looked at the Tswapong Hills, the Martins Drift Road, the Tuli Block and Letsibogo Dam. It also looked at how traffic between Martins Drift, Palapye and Serowe could be diverted through Selebi-Phikwe.
The study recommends the establishment of nodes and what can be done to make the nodes attractive. The coordinator says they want to make Phikwe's Anne Adam's Park node attractive and to open it for use during weekends. He believes paying for use of the park is a hindrance and should be abolished. A separate study will be carried out on Dikgatlhong Dam once it is completed.
A heavy engineering study of BCL Mine is complete and has been passed on to the government and the EU. The study looked at whether BCL could share its heavy engineering equipment with other companies outside the mine so that it does not become redundant after the mine closes down. The study is also meant to retain the workforce of the mine.It is now up to the BCL board to decide on the study. The mine currently has workshops for servicing its own trains and light duty vehicles.
Moshashane says they have encountered some problems in the socio-economic audit of the region. Consultants are still gathering information on it but it is difficult in that the information has to be sourced from the district level. He regrets that the community had high expectations, believing that SPEDU had a lot of money to splash around. "All we do is facilitate the economic development of the town," he says. "But we are also about assisting companies that want to set up in Phikwe with land."
The coordinator commends the positive attitude SPEDU receives from the local business community which he says is eager to see the government do more and always asks why they should invest in Phikwe while the government is afraid to take the risk.
"It would be of much help if the council and the government agency played their part because for investors to come, they consider the leisure and recreation of the area, as well as its health and education facilities," Moshashane says. "If these facilities are not good enough, investors will not set up here even if their businesses were viable."
He hopes some improvements will become visible within the next five years. On changing widespread negative perceptions about Selebi-Phikwe, Moshashane says while he is not at liberty to discuss it, the issue is being dealt with at government level. He dismisses as a misconception the view SPEDU assists local upcoming small businesses financially but says there was a works programme financed by the EU that was specifically meant for non-profit making organisations that has since come to an end.
"Government does not have money to continue the programme," the SPEDU Coordinator says. "As a result of the economic recession, the government had to defer some of the projects, including SPEDU's."
Moshashane says SPEDU has changed its name. It is still SPEDU, he says, but it does not stand for anything because being region-wide, the organisation is not for Selebi-Phikwe only. SPEDU is now known as the Regional Development Agency. It has a logo that reflects the region affected.
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