Phikwe residents expect more belt tightening

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Wednesday May 1, 2013 00:00

The nation has painted a gloomy picture for this year's budget with expectations that it will call for  more belt-tightening. The copper mining town does not expect much from the budget.

A local businessman, James Hughes, told Business Week that he expects the minister to announce a tight budget, adding that the next 12 months will be tough due to poor diamond sales. Selebi-Phikwe continues to struggle with a high unemployment rate due to the closure of companies, especially textile firms. Hughes said textile-manufacturing companies cannot survive in Selebi-Phikwe due to the location of the town and competition from other companies located near sea ports like Durban.

He stated that for the industry to find its roots, the government must maintain the Martin's Drift-Selebi-Phikwe road for easier transportation of raw materials.

'For them to transport their finished goods to the market, it takes time - by which their competitors would have already reached the market. We will always see them closing shop all the time because the competition is too stiff for them,' said Hughes. He explained that the textile industry needs subsidies because some investors have the tendency of running away with the money they get from government as was the case with the Financial Assistance Policy (FAP).

Hughes added that it is time the government concentrated on mineral beneficiation instead of wasting time and resources on things that are not viable. He pointed out that since there is an approved Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) survey, a second smelter can be set up in Selebi-Phikwe. He said the smelter would be used to process copper and nickel from mines in the northern part of the country such as Boseto and African Copper.

'It is high time minerals benefited Batswana. We have passed that stage of exporting mineral ore. We should by now be able to process minerals and export them as finished goods. Processing of minerals will create many jobs,' said Hughes.

Another business operator, Tebogo Venson said the town still expects the government to expand the Selebi-Phikwe hospital and the P200 million College of Applied Arts and Technology that was to take off in 2007. Venson said residents expect to benefit from the P640 million that the European Union (EU) through the Sysmin, gave the Region Re-Employment Account.

A Selebi Phikwe resident, Edward Rammino said he expects the minister to say something about job creation in the mining town.

He said government must find ways to absorb the many graduates roaming the streets into the job market. Rammino complained that it seems as if the government has forgotten about Selebi-Phikwe. He argued that when compared to Palapye, Selebi Phikwe  is nothing but a ghost town.

'It is a scary to see how many projects are being channeled towards Palapye while on the other hand there is a deafening silence on Selebi-Phikwe. The excuse of lack of funds is killing us,' said Rammino.