Phikwe mayor implores govt not to shut BCL
Onalenna Kelebeile | Wednesday October 5, 2016 18:00
The team that includes Selebi-Phikwe East MP, Nonofo Molefhi visited the mine a fortnight ago. Speaking at the handover of the Nickel Park by BCL to the Selebi-Phikwe Town Council (SPTC), Mojuta pleaded with the team not to make a verdict that would leave a permanent scar on the town.
This comes amid fears that the committee could recommend the closure of operations at BCL mine due to non-viability of the operations.
He pleaded with Molefhi to influence a decision that would give the mine and the town a brighter future.
“We still believe that the future of the town and that of the mine is very bright. We may be in deep today, but it does not mean that we will remain forever in the deep,” he added.
Molefhi, who is also the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development, had earlier said that the golden jubilee that Botswana recently celebrated gives the nation an opportunity to look beyond a promised land and contribute towards the development of the country ‘we would like to have in future’.
He added that the past 50 years have been a slow journey for BCL and its associated operations before independence because there were no proper expertise and experience to run the mine, and the country did not have requisite resources to operate the mine. He noted that government then undertook to provide financial support for BCL operations.
“The mine has been burdened with debt and the accumulated debts militated against its capacity to attract investors. As such government remained the sole financier,” he added.
The minister noted that by 2013 the BCL debts soared beyond P3 billion and there was no way BCL could afford to clear the debt because even its reserves were short-lived.
He remained confident however, that the decision makers would make an inspired verdict that would ensure that BCL sees more days. He also noted that the Nickel Park adds to the many ideas of turning the SPEDU region into a tourism hub.
The mine’s managing director, Daniel Mahupela said the mine does not have money, but added that it does not take one to be rich to take ideas into action, which he said is what independence is all about.
“No money was injected into the project, but we used the equipment that we use in our day-to-day operations at the mine,” he said.
The park is expected to serve as an educational facility and promote mining tourism.
The mine donated a locomotive that was used to transport mineral ore from the mineshaft to the plant for processing as part of contribution towards the country’s golden jubilee.