Invest in Sowa Town – Thamane
Lebogang Mosikare | Tuesday December 12, 2023 08:13
Giving a keynote address during the Botash Christmas Party and Excellence Awards ceremony, Thamane, a former employee of Botash, said there are various opportunities in Sowa Town that people can exploit to generate money for themselves.
Major projects are due to take place in Sowa township after it was declared a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and the commencement of major infrastructure development projects such as the Sowa Water Transfer Scheme. Also, in September, Botash launched its 'transformative' five-year strategy aiming to propel the company into an era of sustainable growth, innovation, and expansion of its geographical presence.
The new strategy, named the 'Double in Five, Safely' outlines the commitment Botash has to doubling its earnings before tax by 2027 through the enhancement of logistics, efficient plant operations, new product development and market expansion. In the past few years, the Ministry of Lands Management, Water and Sanitation Services (MLMWSS) allocated plots to people in the township, which is expected to grow the population of the area and investment climate.
New investment opportunities in the accommodation industry are expected to come up following the allocation of land. In 2017, then minister of MLMWSS Prince Maele acknowledged in Parliament he was aware that Sowa Town has potential for growth and as a result, development plan drafting started in 2014 by Sowa Town Council and was approved by the Council Physical Planning Committee. “Think about opportunities you can exploit here to develop this township. Your salaries can never be enough to sustain yourselves.
Don’t let opportunities pass by you and then point fingers at someone and not yourselves for not making use of those opportunities. I encourage you to take advantage of opportunities that may be around to invest and make money here,” Thamane, who was speaking against the backdrop of many opportunities awaiting in Sowa Town, said.
Thamane also commended Botash for its CSI initiatives that it continues to carry out within its sphere of operations. “I must thank the executive committee of Botash for extending its help to communities around the mine. Blessed is the hand that giveth,” Thamane rejoiced. Meanwhile, the Managing Director (MD) of Botash, Kangangwani Phatshwane, said that Botash is a profit-making entity, but there are things that it does with profit not being the motive. “We recently built a culvert over a river on the way to Malelejwe settlement for P1.7 million,” said Phatshwane.
When Botash and super athlete Isaac Makwala donated various presents to the people of Malelejwe in 2022, a plea was made to Botash to build a culvert over the river because it was impossible for people and cars to cross it from either side when it was in full spate during the rainy season.
Phatshwane then outlined many CSI projects that Botash undertook this year which cost millions adding that Botash is in the process of servicing some schools within villages in its sphere of operations for P1.2 million. Phatshwane then hailed Botash employees for their hard work, saying that everything that the company does is made possible by the hard work of its employees. The MD also implored Botash employees to develop a habit of giving to the underprivileged members of society.