03 Apr 2018

Government does not undertake land servicing in freehold land such as Gaborone North, says Assistant Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, Mr Itumeleng Moipisi. 

The assistant minister said developers of such areas were expected to do their own land servicing to standards that met the Water Utilities Corporation standards for future takeover by the corporation.

Mr Moipisi further stated that in the case of Gaborone North, some of the individuals and trusts had already connected to Water Utilities infrastructure for both sewerage and portable water.

He said the corporation has provided a standpipe for the area that was managed by the community, adding that there were no plans to service the area.

He said plot owners developed the infrastructure at their own expense and that Water Utilities Corporation only assisted with perusal and approval of designs to ensure compliance with the standards.

Mr Moipisi also explained that Gaborone North was part of the Gaborone sewerage upgrade commissioned in 2013.

He said the scope of that project with regards to Gaborone North was to provide primary sewer system to enable developers to reticulate and connect into the main sewer lines.

He told Parliament that the objective had been achieved as developers had started connecting into the sewer system as they developed their plots.

He further clarified that the ministry was not doing anything to assist residents of Gaborone North farms to provide them with portable drinking water and sewerage.

MP for Gaborone North, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa had asked the assistant minister what was being done to assist residents of Gaborone North farms with portable drinking water and sewerage.

The MP had also wanted to know if there were plans to assist residents with primary infrastructure, and if so, when would they be assisted.

He also wanted to know if the assistant minister was aware that government had commissioned the sewerage infrastructure, and if so, how residents were expected to utilise such infrastructure without water connections. ENDS