25 Feb 2013

The North East district has received 7 498 applications for the newly-introduced back-to-school programme.

In his opening remarks at a full council meeting recently, North East District Council chairperson, Councillor City Kealotswe said applications have been allocated to different institutions based on applicants’ qualifications. Mr Kealotswe said the bulk of the applications have been allocated to BOCODOL and the brigades while other various tertiary institutions share the remainder.

He pointed out that the institutions would be responsible for assessing the applicants.

He further noted that the Department of Tertiary Education and Financing would be responsible for sponsorship of tertiary courses.

On a different issue, Mr Kealotswe told the meeting that in an effort to assist groups and individuals to set up projects through which they could improve their livelihoods, the council had funded 40 beneficiaries through the poverty eradication programme.

“The beneficiaries have been empowered with technical and lifelong skills that will help them in the implementation and management of the projects,” he stated. He explained that the funded projects included amongst others, bakeries, catering, fashion design and home-based laundry.

He also informed the council that six more projects would be funded through the Rehabilitation of Destitute Persons vote. He said projects, which includeed bee-keeping, catering and weaving would benefit destitute persons, orphans and home-based care patients in Sekakangwe, Butale, Ditladi, Mabudzane and Senyawe villages.

On the roll-out of the coupon system in the district, the chairperson stated that only eight out of 43 villages were not yet serviced through the system. He said this was because some of the villages did not have qualifying shops where point of sale devices could be installed.

For some of the villages, he said, the problem was poor network connectivity. “Despite the noted challenges, inspections for interested merchants for coupon installations at Mbalambi and Kgari have been completed and we hope that the villages will soon be serviced through the coupon system,” he added.

Updating councillors on progress of the destitute and Presidential Housing programmes, Mr Kealotswe said overall progress in the district was not satisfactory because it currently stood at only 20 per cent.

The chairperson cited shortage of labour as a major challenges, which he said, affected a whole range of activities that need to be undertaken under the programmes.  He thus stressed the need for the council to devise strategies that could better address the situation and ensure progress. ENDS