08 Oct 2015

Chobe Land Board is owed more than P3 million in rent arrears, says the district’s deputy council chairperson, Mr Paul Chabaesele. Addressing a council meeting recently, Mr Chabaesele appealed to councillors to urge people to pay their rent by the due date without defaulting.

 “To address this situation, the board has taken a decision to publish the names of defaulters and engage debt collectors to collect the arrears,” he warned. 

He added that the land board has identified more than 400 undeveloped residential plots as well as 68 undeveloped commercial plots. He said owners of such plots would be summoned to appear before the board to defend themselves against the possible repossession of such plots. 

“There is acute shortage of land in the district while demand is high; as such, there is need to utilise every piece of land that is lying idle,” he said.

On other issues, he said Kazungula may get a new primary school next year if the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development approves the proposal. Mr Chabaesele noted that Kasane and Kazungula were in dire need of additional classroom space. 

Updating the council on the Kazungula Bridge project, Cllr Chabaesele said the bridge was at about four per cent against a planned progress of 32.5 per cent. 

The delay, he said, was due to the late acquisition of a burrow pit and the late arrival of the batching plant. 

Still on the bridge, he explained that 74 employees were engaged comprising 42 Batswana, four Zambians and 28 skilled expatriates. On local economic empowerment, he said the district was procuring half of its goods from outside the district. Ends