Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Ministry of Small Business Development, Co-operatives and Markets is registering victims affected by the Covid-19 epidemic around Lesotho districts. This initiative prepares them for financial assistance with the help of an independent coordinator from the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
In an interview with Voice of the Nation, Chief Development Officer in the Small Business Corporations and Markets Department, Mr Lebohang Maboka said his office was working to compile a list of registered registrars in their districts to their District Secretaries.
Maboko said the list they had completed was from Maseru with more than 6200 activists. Maboko went on to say that when the registrants register they provide the identification number, full names, type of business, telephone numbers registered for Eco-Cash or M-pesa as they will be paid.
He explained that while working with Lesotho Poetry Chairperson, Mr Mbuyiswa Bhele, “he has been selected from a team that coordinates the collection of small business lists and ensures that the lists can be ‘typed in the machines transparently and accurately”. Maboko added that the department is also assisting with the provision of vehicles and equipment to the districts to register voters.
In an interview with the Chairman of the Maseru Street Vendors Association (MSVA), Mr Molefi Paneng, said that initially the process of compiling the list of beneficiaries was done by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the list collected in Maseru was 2525 which is a very small number, he added that in Mokhotlong district the protesters were shown the next morning, and this issue raised suspicion.
Paneng said they protested to the Minister of Trade and Industry and referred the matter to the Ministry of Small Business, Co-operatives and Markets to work with the leaders of the private sector to compile the correct statistics.
Paneng said no funding had been made yet and here in Maseru it had been finalized but the expectation was that funding would be provided from an independent agency that comes under the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
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