14 Mar 2013

The Ministry of Lands and Housing has come up with an initiative to engage individuals, including public officers and the private sector in the construction of houses for public officers countrywide.

Presenting the ministry’s budget proposals of over P1.2 billion for 2013/2014 financial year in Parliament on Tuesday, lands and housing minister, Mr Lebonaamang Mokalake told Parliament that the initiative aimed at alleviating public officers’ housing shortage, particularly in remote areas.

He also noted that government would provide specifications of houses to be constructed, which he said would either be leased or purchased by government to accommodate public officers.

“This initiative will not only alleviate acute shortage of public officers’ housing but will also empower small contractors in the districts as they will be given priority during construction,” he said.

Meanwhile, Parliament also heard that the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) had, in the current financial year, completed a total of 323 houses. He said out of the total number, Jwaneng was allocated 126, Gaborone 135 while Ghanzi got 62.

Minister Mokalake noted that the remaining projects in Gaborone and Ghanzi were at different stages of completion, while the contract was also terminated owing to non-performance by the contractor.

He said an additional 190 units planned for Palapye, which should have started last year, would only start in the next financial year due to delays in obtaining as well as securing buyers for the development.

A further 100 units planned for Francistown failed to commence due to unavailability of serviced land, he said.

The minister further stated that while construction of 135 houses in Gaborone was complete, the houses, together with the 381 completed before cannot be handed over to respective purchasers because they had not supplied with potable water.

“The agreement reached between government and Phakalane Estates (Pty) Ltd to upgrade the sewerage system at Phakalane to enable houses to be supplied with potable water is yet to be implemented by Water Utilities,” he explained.

He also said that the problem has had negative effect on sales performance because a number of customers were ready to pay for their houses but unwilling to do so until houses were supplied with potable water. “Some who had paid for their houses have since asked to be refunded their monies,”  he added.  BOPA