SPTC to twin with Swedish municipality

ONALENNA MODIKWA
Staff Writer | Friday November 25, 2011 00:00

The council has since written a letter of intent as required by the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy, the facilitators of such twinning arrangements.  The twinning programme follows a meeting Trollhattan and SPTC held in Selebi-Phikwe in September. This was a series of meetings arranged by Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA) between the Swedish Municipality and Botswana local authorities aimed at forging cooperation by the two parties. The Mayor Godfrey Mbaiwa said that the September visit by Trollhattan was a demonstration of interest in the Phikwe municipality through past collaborations.  'We are highly optimistic that the twinning arrangement between the two will bear fruit and we will mutually derive benefits that are expected from such partnerships,' he said. The mayor also indicated that Selebi-Phikwe has been selected alongside Chobe and Gantsi as a pilot site for Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) programme commissioned on August 4, this year.

SLA is a process, which anchors on community-based planning aimed towards the empowerment of different communities. The principle of this approach is facilitation of community resource allocation and to encourage participation in improving the livelihoods of the local people.

Mbaiwa said 90 members of the Selebi-Phikwe community were trained in various skills, which enabled them to come up with projects they would like to undertake. 'These beneficiaries were able to formulate their visions and community action plans and they have since applied for registration of their small businesses with the Registrar of Companies,' he added. The mayor cited one-day care centre in Botshabelo as a project under the SLA programme, which was an idea of four youths.

The youth have since requested the Botshabelo South Ward Development Committee to assist them with land acquisition while they pursue the registration of their business.

Unemployed men and women conceived another horticulture project. Five women from the group are temporarily operating at the rehabilitation garden in Botshabelo South while they are still looking for land.

Mbaiwa said other projects identified by the beneficiaries of this programme are goat rearing, cultural village, leather goods production and toilet paper manufacturing.

'These projects are at different stages of operation and it is becoming evident that community based planning, when executed appropriately, could empower the local communities to become pioneers of their own development,' he highlighted.

The rollout of the programme to two remaining wards Ikageleng and Rekakgona is expected to start in February next year.

He further indicated that on poverty eradication programme, Selebi-Phikwe continues to encourage self-sustenance by supporting activities like backyard gardening in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture. A week's training was conducted for 201 identified beneficiaries and is hoped that they will qualify for the P15,000 worth of equipment assistance package.