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MEC unveils economic blueprint

by Lesotho Times
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Limpho Sello

MOVEMENT for Economic Change (MEC) leader Selibe Mochoboroane has stuck to his message of promising swift implementation of business projects if elected into government.

Mr Mochoboroane said this while addressing a rally to solicit support for his fledgling party in Butha-Buthe this weekend.

The country is set to hold national elections on 3 June after they were announced by King Letsie III in the aftermath of last month’s successful parliamentary no confidence motion by the opposition bloc against the seven parties’ coalition government. This brought to a premature end the tenure of the government which had been in power since the 2015 elections and were supposed to have served a five year term.

Mr Mochoboroane, a former Small Business Development minister who ditched Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing’s Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) to lead the newly-formed MEC in January, accused the outgoing government of reneging on its pledge to implement business projects particularly outside Maseru that were crucial to the country’s economic growth.

He said as a result, his government would build factories to stimulate industrial activity as part of measures to facilitate the growth of towns around the country while reducing congestion in the industrial hubs such as Maseru.

“So, we are going to improve towns and reduce congestion,” Mr Mochoboroane said.

“In this district, political leaders told the public that they would build factories and they might have made plans but the challenge was implementation. But the one party that is going to do the implementation is MEC.”

“We are going to show them that those fields that were identified and were handed over to the government to build factories for washing and processing mohair will be used for that purpose.”

He said they would engage the owners of the land that had been earmarked for the construction of the factories or even move to Mokhotlong if there were serious challenges.

The MEC leader described Butha-Buthe as a district rich in minerals and suitable for agricultural activities which could drive economic growth.

This district is rich in diamonds. The Ministry of Mining issued diamond mining licences with a time frame for operations but up to now there is nothing that has been done.”

“Ours is to boost the country’s economic growth and our plan is to use every resource that we have to create jobs. Therefore, we will go and mine even with spades for the economy to grow.”

He outlined plans to tap into the district’s potential for big business in the wool and mohair industries, saying the country could yield huge export returns through beneficiation.

He said beneficiation could be achieved through setting up plants for the washing and processing of mohair.

Mr Mochoboroane said they also planned to increase agricultural output through water harvesting and green house techniques to mitigate the effects of droughts caused by climate change.

He also highlighted the need to revamp the education curriculum to adapt to the times and produce entrepreneurs who would create jobs rather than seek employment.

He said he was well aware that such ideas were not unique to his party, adding however, it was actual implementation that would set apart a MEC government from its predecessors.

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