24 Nov 2015

Two thousand three hundred and twenty one households have been connected to the Gaborone integrated sewer project. The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Mr Kitso Mokaila told Parliament that 8 557 of the Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) plots were expected to have been connected.

Mr Mokaila explained that Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) has addressed public meetings with affected residents and that the preliminary findings and customers feedback points at the costs associated with internal plumbing of the various houses and rooms found in each plot before they could be connected to the sewer line as the main hindrance delaying customers to connect to the network.

He said in light of the foregoing, and in an effort to encourage customers to connect to the main sewer, WUC was offering residents an installment option to pay for the connection fee. He said connection was only done upon completion of the instalments.

Mr Mokaila said his ministry did not have any funds to assist the residents, but said, however, there was a special dispensation, the home improvement loan available to SHHA residents from the Ministry of Local Government under various city councils.

He explained that under the arrangement, SHHA residents could get loans to carry out improvements on their SHHA properties. Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa had asked the minister to state the number of households that have been connected to the main sewer line and how many were expected to be connected.

He also asked the minister to explain what could have been the delay for failure to connect some plots. Ends