Youth projects struggle despite funding
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday September 16, 2026 06:00
The latest Tlokweng District Development Committee (DDC) report, which was presented recently during a full council meeting recently, reveals that 240 of the 244 approved projects were eventually funded. “Of these, 174, representing 72.5%, are currently operational and have created 339 employment opportunities,” the report states.
However, the report indicates that in the 2024–2025 financial year, only 18 youth projects were funded and remain operational.
Meanwhile, one project is under assessment for possible transfer to another district due to the beneficiary’s health challenges.
Despite the number of projects supported over the years, the report indicates that loan repayment remains a major concern for the district.
It shows that the Tlokweng District has collected a cumulative P1,119,946.88 in loan repayments against an expected P11,622,201.97 over the 15 years of programme implementation.
This represents a repayment collection rate of just 9.64 percent, highlighting the financial challenges confronting the youth projects programme.
Consequently, it reveals that the low repayment rate could affect the sustainability of the programme and its ability to support more young people in the district.
Whilst the projects have contributed to employment creation, the figures suggest that more attention may be required to ensure beneficiaries remain operational and meet their repayment obligations.
However, according to the report, the department has a target to collect a quarterly amount of P35,087.70 from loan repayment but has collected P2,200 from two beneficiaries. “Significant decrease in loan repayment collection was observed compared to the consistent increases that had been recorded over the previous year. The department has intensified monitoring as a way to investigate the decline and promote loan repayments,” it states.
According to the report, the setbacks present challenges that that threaten support for youth funded projects.
For example, most beneficiaries turn down appointments whilst some do not honour invitations because they are unreachable on the scheduled dates.
Equally, low revenue collections affect other development projects implementation and accrued interest charges resulting in audit queries.
Furthermore, the report says a joint monitoring schedule has been drawn and is being implemented to provide support and mitigation to challenges and further intensify loan collection.
“To curb issues of non-traceability, parents/guardians sign an affidavit when signing the Memorandum of Agreement. This has helped in so far as forging relations which causes project challenges in future,” it has indicated.