03 Mar 2014

Poverty Eradication Programme beneficiaries have been urged to regard the programme not as a right, but as an opportunity.

Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Dikgakgamtso Seretse said when officially opening the life skills training workshop for beneficiaries of the poverty eradication programme in Jamataka on Friday, February 28.

He said taking the programme as an opportunity would encourage the beneficiaries to be successful and eliminate the destructive propensity by some to lean towards a sense of entitlement at every turn.

“I firmly believe that if participants are not receptive to making meaningful changes so as to attain a positive mindset, then we will forever be deficient in our cause,” he said.

Mr Seretse said an individual could receive all guidance and all the help that government could, but if not in the proper state of mind to receive and optimally utilise what was given, there would be risk of wasting valuable resources.

He urged participants to take time to learn about various packages before choosing because the success of their projects would be to follow their passions. “What usually precedes exceptional performance in any endeavour one undertakes are the applied passion, dedication and commitment,” he said.

The minister said to date 7 789 beneficiaries had been assisted through the Poverty Eradication Programme and 997 had been identified to be generating beyond normal profits. Mr Seretse said with dedication and commitment, projects could do even better.

He encouraged the new beneficiaries to contact those who were already participating and learn from them and to learn from their experiences. On a sad note, the minister said over 81 projects had been classified as failed projects for various reasons.

“Although failure is a lesson in business, if attributable to sheer negligence on the part of the beneficiary, it would be a lesson never to learn from,” he said.

He lamented that most the projects failed due to negligence by the beneficiaries, adding that failure recorded is an opportunity lost for other potential participants.

Mr Seretse said since the programme started, 15 494 beneficiaries have been mobilised and of those, 7 705 are waiting for their projects to start operating.

“Of the mobilised beneficiaries, 1 088 are able-bodied destitute persons that are receiving food basket and they will be enrolled in the Poverty Eradication programme,” he said.

He noted that as part of government’s efforts in supporting the programme, P6 million was disbursed to the National Food Technology Research Centre (NFTRC) to set up a food processing plant in Selebi Phikwe.

Mr Seretse explained that the plant would process excess beetroot, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage and onions for longer shelf life. He said there were 53 designated market places across the country for monthly market days.

The Minister explained that the fundamental principle underlying the Poverty Eradication Programme is that all projects undertaken by beneficiaries should enable them to graduate out of poverty through income generated from the enterprise.

The theme of the three-day workshop was Poverty Eradication- A journey from Poverty to Sustainable Livelihoods. ENDS