Phikwe�s heart beats again :: Mmegi Online

Situated in the centre of the town, a stone’s throw from the bus rank, is the Selebi Phikwe Cooperative Society, a membership driven retail outlet dating back to 1975. To be accurate, it was there until 2011 when increasing competition, alleged corruption and economic ill-winds forced its closure. Staff Writer, ONALENNA KELEBEILE MODIKWA finds that the iconic institution has risen from ashes and is yet again a bastion of citizen enterprise

Albert Paki, Selebi Phikwe’s first mayor who served between 1981 and 1982, fondly remembers the early days of the Selebi Phikwe Cooperative Society’s establishment. As the town formed around the fairly new copper and nickel mining operations, the cooperative, popularly known as ‘Copa’ became its first retail centre.

The Co-op was the first to sell groceries, quickly gaining the hearts of residents. The establishment of a trendy bar also made it a magnet for social life in the blossoming town.

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