05 Feb 2017

The Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Kitso Mokaila, has told Ntlo Ya Dikgosi that Botswana Railways did a study to determine passenger service requirements before re-introducing the passenger train in March last year.

Mr Mokaila said the study revealed that there was need to rationalise the train stopping stations in order to minimise operational costs associated with the running of the passenger train.

He said there were initially 19 stopping places between Francistown and Lobatse and were later rationalised to six.

The plan, he said, was to allow passenger train to run in line with the study recommendations.

He further said if there were other considerations for the train to stop at other places, there should be holistic consideration with other places because public outcry was not only specific to Shashe.

“It must be noted that the suggested stopping places will require funding relating to passenger amenities and security,” he said.

Mr Mokaila was responding to a question asked by Kgosi Kgosidialwa Moalosi 1V of Tonota who had asked if the minister was considering making Shashe station a railway stop for the passenger train to service the Tonota community.

On other issues, Mr Mokaila also told dikgosi that the section of the road from Maun to Kuke veterinary gate was not fenced because the road section went through the wildlife management area.

Currently, he said there was no plan to fence the road to control stray livestock on the road.

Furthermore, he said the section from Kuke veterinary gate to Ghanzi kgotla had been fenced to prevent access to the road by livestock.

He said it had been observed that farmers deliberately opened the gates to allow their animals on the road reserve to graze.

Mr Mokaila was answering a question from Kgosi Justice Moseki of Ghanzi region who had wanted to know if the ministry was aware of stray livestock that roam along Maun-Ghanzi road.

He also wanted to know when the situation would be addressed.  BOPA