26 Oct 2016

The hostel industry is slowly gaining popularity in Botswana where the lodging model is referred to as a set of mostly one-roomed houses conjoined together and rented out to people for a monthly fee.

The popularity of such a style of housing has grown because of the lack of accommodation in urban areas around the country due to rural-urban migration.

Hostel tenancy is popular with tertiary students who normally come from out flung places to cities for their studies.

Down south in Gaborone, villages like Tlokweng, Gabane and Mmopane abound with hostel also known as multi-residential homes.

Up north in Francistown, Monarch and Blocks locations dominate in hostel abundance loved for its cheapness going for as low as P350 in some places.

One owner of such kind of accommodation in Francistown, 42-year-old Peggy Sethudi told BOPA in an interview that the business is very much rewarding.

Ms Sehtudi’s hostel apartments are situated at Monarch’s Area Two section and it boasts of modest seven fully furnished rooms with electricity and water connections.
 

“The construction of my hostels took eight months to complete and I financed the project through a personal loan,” she said, adding that she opted for a multi-residential after realising that demand for accommodation in cities was skyrocketing.

She said it was worth the sweat because with each unit going for P550, all the seven of them earn her a whooping P3, 850 per month.

“I have no trouble serving my loan easily,” says Ms Sethudi who is also a Primary School teacher.

She added that it was disheartening that many young people today took up loans to sponsor flashy lifestyles, whereas she her loan was meant to make returns.

Each and every tenant has a responsibility to take care of their dwelling including cleaning and paying electricity and water bills regularly, she said.

Senior Public Relations Officer at the Francistown City Council, Mr Joseph Wasubera said the council was aware of the rising popularity of multi-residential type of accommodation in the city.

He advised that project owners should consult with the council before starting such projects for proper advice and compliance purposes. ENDS