20 Oct 2015

Jwaneng Town Council (JTC)  has resolved to prioritise servicing land in the Urban Development Plan IV  to fight shortage of accommodation in the town. The councillors made the decision during a recent special full council meeting. 

They agreed that servicing land  in Unit 9 and 10 was overdue and with the highest number of people anticipated to relocate to Jwaneng for  the Debswana's Cut 9 project, accommodation was going to be a problem. 

The proposed budget of P352 million will be used  for the servicing of agro industrial plots, residential plots in Unit 9 and 10, open space as well as servicing of industrial expansion areas.

This will ultimately lead to the possible construction of more than 57 staff houses, prior to the approval of the proposed more than P1.6 million budget for the project.

The acting deputy district commissioner, Mr Bonakele Nyoni, advised that prioritising on sustainable projects was crucial when planning for a development plan so as to give the government a clear picture of what the district needs. 

“There is likelihood that some of your projects will not be approved because your budget competes with others from different districts nationwide and the state of the economy will also dictate accordingly”, he explained.

Mr Nyoni said in preparation for their development plan, they had consulted extensively with the community and the relevant stakeholders in the Jwaneng district to maximize the roll of sustainable projects. 

He however cautioned that with the country still recovering from economic meltdown, some projects will not see the light of the day.

Councilor for Ngami ward Mr Bankinyana Montsiemang noted that land servicing was a long anticipated project which will give Batswana the opportunity to own land and make ends meet through rentals. 

He urged the other councillors to remain optimistic that the majority of their budget will be approved despite the current economic status.

Mr Obed Monkge of Seole ward was of the view that the plan was a commitment of the council to improve the livelihood of the community. 

He said by servicing residential plots, shortage of accommodation in the town will be history.

Though different councilors highlighted that some projects were wrongly placed at a later stage of NDP 11 and should be placed earlier for 2017/18, the acting town clerk, Mr Desmond Tshotelo, advised that congesting projects in the first year of the development plan will not work and that they should rather be spread through the years to allow for flexibility. Ends