Africa-Press – Lesotho. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Association (MSME Association) Berea pleaded with the Ministry of Small Business Development, Cooperatives and Marketing to pay their pending Covid-19
relief funds. The MSME Association Berea together with other small business owners from various districts held a meeting with the Minister of Small Business Development, Cooperatives and Marketing Hon.
Thesele Maseribane and stakeholders involved in the relief fund affairs yesterday. Pouring their grievances to the Minister, MSME Association Berea Founder and Chairperson Motlere Thobi said
some small business owners have not received the promised funds (M500) since the first country’s lockdown. Thobi indicated that the ministry had since collected data of small business owners but only a few
people were given the funds. Reacting to Maseribane’s response, Thobi said; “Since the Minister says he needs a complete data from us, we also demand their list
of people they have paid so that when we go back we re-register only people who have not been paid,” he stated. To get details of their grievances Informative Newspaper had an interview with Thobi who stated
that they had earlier wrote a letter to the ministry about the same agenda. “What we expect or expected today is to get the report on their deliberations with
the Ministry of Trade and Industries concerning the ease of small businesses operation in the country. We also want to leave these premises having seen names
and the number of people who have been paid. The other agenda is of the policy, we need to see and review the policy of our ministry,” Thobi explained.
Mabokang Khoanyane, a small business owner from Mokhotlong told the Minister that she has not received her share, saying she heard that only those who use Mpesa have received their
relief fund but her and other users of EcoCash. Meanwhile, Maseribane indicated that they received letters from small business associations in Berea, Butha-Buthe and Mafeteng demanding relief funds, he said letters must be
directed to the responsible departments, adding that they are working on the administration of the funds. “The verification process has been in progress
and the machine that we send in districts to examine in depth the statistics on small business to receive the fund. Once the verification give accurate
statistics then I can present the grievances to the cabinet and request money that will be needed,” he explained. In response to the small business owners queries The Ministry of Small Business, Development, Cooperatives
and Marketing Senior Enterprise Development Officer Lehlohonolo Maboka stated that they do not have the statistics of people who have been paid as a whole.
“We were not prepared so we are not sure about the amount that has been paid to
those other small businesses, the Ministry of Trade and Industries is responsible as it is their project to help small business owners”, Maboka stated.
