By Libuseng Nyaka
Director of SMMEs and Cooperatives Joseph Setsabi
BETHLEHEM – The Acting Head of Strategic Planning and Development in Free State Government Premier’s Office Mafole Mokalobe has attributed high unemployment in the area to an education system that places greater emphasis on academic subjects while failing to equip learners with relevant life skills.
Mokalobe told a provincial summit on job creation and sustenance attended by informal and small business communities from Thabo Mofutsanyana district held at Bethlehem on Tuesday, October 16 that unemployment resulted from skills mismatch.
“Our education system fails to address skills that will address economic development. We need students who are able to create employment instead of looking for the government to provide jobs,” Mokalobe said.
He said the province needed to utilise the ability of some individuals who can make profit out of their business.
People need to be trained in how best to identify markets.
“Starting a business is not a problem but how to sustain it. We need to train our informal small businesses on how best they can be competitive, by so doing they will able to provide jobs for other people,” Mokalobe said.
Mokalobe also said municipalities like Maluti A Phofung as well as Setsoto used to be rich in agricultural produce in the province and these activities needed to be revived so that they could provide employment and eradicate poverty.
“Nothing can beat agriculture production because we need to eat every day,” Mokalobe emphasised.
Senior officer responsible for Cooperative and SMMEs in the Premier’s office Joseph Setsabi told the gathering, that he would assist them to bolster their businesses only if they are willing.
He pledged to help the communities and informal traders create self-help projects without waiting for government to lend a hand.
“We have partners in business who are willing to assist us with the training such as Sida and Seta. I am going to give you hope and empower you to make money without waiting for government hand-outs. When we look back three years, we can pride ourselves in that at least we have made a difference,” Setsabi said.
The summit highlighted the importance of government‘s partnership with FET colleges and business partners like Sida in mitigating unemployment in the Province.
Executive Mayor of Thabo Mofutsanyana District, Balekile Mzangwa said the summit was in line with a United Nations declaration that states that “cooperatives build a better world”.
He said the declaration intended to raise public awareness of the invaluable contributions of cooperative enterprises.
Mzangwa said that small cooperatives and SMMEs must be used as a vehicle for rural development and SMMEs as units of production and permanent job creation.