07 Aug 2016

Lobatse residents have informed President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama that their houses have developed cracks due to poor soil structure in the area.

They expressed their concerns during the President’s walk-about in Lobatse on Saturday, where he also distributed blankets to some residents.

The town’s mayor, Ms Malebogo Kruger said the houses had been cracking over a long period and some people had to be relocated to other places.

She however, said this was still a challenge because the problem continued to persist in various areas around Lobatse. She said even though people have been advised on how to reinforce their structures to caution against cracks, the strategies have proved to be expensive for most residents.

Expressing the sentiments, councillor for Tsopeng South ward, Mr Khumo King asked for the President’s intervention, saying the problem of cracked houses dated from way back. He said the houses were not safe to live in and might collapse anytime.

On other issues raised during the walk-about, a resident of New Look-Maipei ward, Ms Dineo Phuthologang said shortage of material has halted their toilet paper making project. She said even though they have successfully applied for the project through the poverty eradication programme, they were still not operational due to shortage of material. This, she noted, has left them without an income to sustain their families.

In Woodhall, a visually impaired Ms Ganewe Baile requested for the best optical services since both her eyes could no longer see after a failed eye operation in 2014. 

She said she had gone to Molepolole for a cataract operation on one eye but both eyes have since gone blind.

Lobatse former mayor, Ms Caroline Lesang lamented that Lobatse was not developed despite it being the first town that made Botswana. She said the exorbitant business rates prevented business people to invest in their town, hence turning it into a ghost town.

She said as it is, Lobatse needed special dispensation to lure investors who could help develop the town, which she said carried a lot of significance to present-day Botswana. ENDS