Picture: (Maize Cup launch at Delareyville library)

Mahikeng: As plans to host the inaugural Bokone Bophirima Maize Triangle Challenge are kicking into high gear, the Provincial Government encourages communities to support this initiative, which is set to create a new paradigm for the Bokone Bophirima Province.

Launched exactly three weeks ago, Bokone Bophirima Maize Triangle Challenge is a one-day soccer tournament which the Provincial Government initiated as part of the bigger vision to rebrand, reposition and renew the Province. Set to be an annual occasion, this inaugural tournament will be hosted at Moruleng Stadium on the 11th of July 2015.

As Premier of Bokone Bophirima Province Mr Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo puts it, the resolve to focus on promoting maize as the brand of this tournament is based on the premise that Agriculture has been placed at the apex of the Province’s economic growth strategy, this coupled with the Province’s comparative advantage in the country’s maize production industry. Besides, the tournament is set to attract a huge number of soccer lovers and tourists alike, thus reinforcing the prioritisation of Culture and Tourism as the Province’s other key pillars of the economic development agenda, and the already conceived brand architecture of A Re Yeng Bokone Bophirima.

To give strategic meaning to this principle, the teams participating in this tournament are from the country’s top three maize producers, namely Bokone Bophirima’s Platinum Stars, Free State’s Bloemfontein Celtics and Mpumalanga’s Black Aces. Township Rollers from the neighbouring Botswana will also participate in this tournament, thereby giving the tournament an international status.

“Our Province has for the 2014/15 production season, produced 3,562,500 tons of all commercial maize grown in South Africa, of which 78% was white maize and 22% yellow maize. These figures are enough to encourage us to invest more in this industry, as they also give substance to the recognition of Bokone Bophirima as the food basket of South Africa”, says Premier Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo who maintains that this tournament has the greatest potential to contribute towards the achievement of 6% economic growth by 2019.

Premier Mahumapelo also says “We also acknowledge the fact that our pursuit for radical socio-economic transformation will not be realised if we will not, through this initiative, invest our capital on developing the Province’s Villages, Townships and Small Dorpies with a view to address challenges of high unemployment, poverty and inequalities at these areas”.

Structured to be a family affair, the day will be filled with entertainment for the young and old. Communities are urged to support this initiative and attend in numbers, as this will go a long way in sustaining the envisioned development agenda of Bokone Bophirima Province.

Tickets are sold at Computickets and its outlets. The kick-off for the semi-final will be at 10h00.

-TDN

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BY OBAKENG MAJE
PHOKWANE Municipality held Local Economic Development Summit on last week at Thabang Centre Hall in Bonita-park.

This Summit encouraged entrepreneurs in the Phokwane region who contribute to the economy and create job opportunities.

Representatives from several organisations presented giving entrepreneurs information on how to access funding, how to improve their businesses and writing of business plans.

Entrepreneurs who attended had an opportunity to raise questions relating to their businesses and received advice and feedback from presenters.

Organisations that attended and gave information included National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Seta), Phokwane Local Municipality, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Phokwane municipality’s LED Manager, Boitumelo Koena said this is one of many initiatives that Local Economic Development has embarked on in order to improve the lives of entrepreneurs and assist them in growing their businesses.

“The summit was in partnership with the NYDA, ,SEDA, Economic Development and DTI that presented on the day. The main purpose of the information session was to bring young entrepreneurs and youth owned businesses and organisation whose mandate it is to develop young entrepreneurs together to create a platform for local youth to access the services provided by these organisations,” he said.

Koena said this is the Municipality’s endeavour to curb unemployment by mainstreaming youth businesses into the local economy.

Northern Cape Economic Development Department senior manager, Hendrik Louw said they came here to empower the people in Phokwane and encourages the youth to be part of economy growth.

“Youth empowerment is of paramount importance. We need to appreciates the youth and their development must make sure their change peculiarities around them.

“National development should be given a holistic approach, not just based on focus on certain sectors. An African proverb says ‘every hen was once an egg’, So we can not expect our youths to metamorphosize into heroic nationbuilders if they were never visionaries and patriots as youths,” Louw said.


He said they brought various stakeholders to shed more light on how to become successful entrepreneurs and nurturing the development of micro business persons is the third most important thing a nation can do (apart from take care of the populace and take care of the land).


“Youth Empowerment may be a misnomer. I agree with various stakeholders representatives that it is keying in on wisdom also. It is good to get youth involved in projects and movements, but as said below, without good leadership and planning, movements can fail. What is needed is a concept of teamwork with people of ALL ages participating in a worthy cause,” concludes Louw.

One of the micro business people was Sarah Ledwaba(62) who runs food garden in Ganspan.

Ledwaba said they appreciate the visit because most of the time they sometime do not know where to ask for help, but organisations like SEDA, DTI and NYDA come handy to help them establish their businesses.

“We highly-appreciate the visit of various stakeholders. My wish is to see them visiting us at our stalls and see the hardship we going through. We really need help and agriculture is they key factor here in Phokwane,” she said.

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