While government introduced the programme as one of the initiatives meant to reduce poverty, it came to be known as an unemployment relief scheme with not many having had anything positive to say about it.
Ipelegeng workers have been deployed in different areas to clean the streets, schools, and wherever the need might arise.
While some see the unemployment relief programme as something that assists families to put food on the table, some have dismissed it as useless, labelling it as exploitation of the poor.
Some people have come out with guns blazing saying the workers often gather and sit around doing nothing until it is time to knock off, while others see Ipelegeng as being given a lot of work for a measly few hundreds of pula. What can’t be disputed is that some families rely on Ipelegeng to support their children even though space in the programme is not guaranteed (most villages and towns shift workers monthly or after every three months to give others a chance).
The SEDC pilot ISDP project is indeed one of the much-needed improvements to the programme. Many believe that Batswana as a nation have been taught to be over-reliant on government, but the pilot project in the SEDC is the first step in the right direction.
There is a saying: “If you give a man fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”
The new Ipelegeng is a space to watch as it will hopefully grow to reach not only its potential in empowering the ordinary Motswana, but also restore dignity where poverty has been the scourge that strips many folks of fulfilment.
With the skills development programme’s recent pilot projects showing promise for a brighter future, the Ipelegeng workers coming out of it were enthusiastic to learn further to earn accreditation. This is the yardstick that will not only go a long way in improving their livelihoods, but will also bring them closer to creating their own legacies.
Hopefully, those who undergo the training will have better chances of getting employment or better yet some will eventually become employers. Ipelegeng has limited space, as the programme cannot accommodate all those in need.
It can also equip the workers with the much-needed skills which will reduce unemployment in time while it also gives many a foundation for a thriving future.
We, however, hope that the skills development programme will not only be restricted to the construction industry but will also have similar models replicated across other industries. The SEDC and the Construction Industry Trust Fund, which teaches the beneficiaries, need to be commended.
This is the kind of forward-thinking we need as a country. The expectation is that the programme’s pilot project will soon be rolled out throughout the country so that many more citizens can benefit.
