Muzila implores key stakeholders to tackle unemployment
Chakalisa Dube | Wednesday December 20, 2017 18:06
City mayor, Sylvia Muzila made the remarks on Monday evening at the annual Mayor’s Ball organised by the Francistown City Council (FCC).
In fact beginning in 2018, all attention in the city should now be shifted to addressing the “worsening unemployment situation.”
Muzila said there are strong indications that the unemployment situation in the city and its surroundings has reached uncontrollable heights and needs to be addressed urgently.
“I know that there are many things that need to be dealt with in the city in terms of development, but the unemployment situation in Francistown is very awful. In 2018 we should all turn our focus on addressing unemployment,” Muzila said.
The mayor further said, “I know that addressing unemployment is usually perceived to be the preserve of the government.
Under the current economic dynamics, I implore the private sector and all the key stakeholders in the city to suggest ways that can help the city create employment”.
Muzila added that in 2018 there should be regular interactions amongst the city stakeholders as to how they can address the unemployment situation in the city.
Speaking at the event Itekeng ward councillor, Lesego Kwambala said the private sector should embrace creativity and explore business opportunities in the city.
“Francistown still has many business opportunities that remain unexplored. In order for us to tap into those opportunities we have to be creative and shy away from applying conventional methods of doing business. The tough economic conditions warrant us to cease from using routine ways of doing business,” he said. Unemployment in the city is attributed to low business activity in the city.
Business in Francistown has reached an all time low since the closure of the Tati Nickel Mining Company.
Many major commercial centres such as the Tati River mall have been vacant for sometime which bears testimony to the fact that there is low business activity in Francistown.