29 Apr 2019

The former president of Business Botswana, Mr Lekwalo Mosienyane has said any efforts by individually owned companies to shelter the needy members of society is commendable. 

Mr Mosienyane was speaking at a fundraising dinner organised by the Kgalagadi Ward Development Committee (KWDC), one of the seven Ward Development Committees (WDCs) that make up the Jwaneng Township. 

He said such efforts by KWDC complemented government’s initiative to shelter the needy through the National Housing Appeal, particularly that the nation still faced a challenge of lack of decent and affordable housing in both rural and urban centres. 

He said tackling the challenge, therefore, required a collective effort such as that by the KWDC. Mr Mosienyane said the effort by KWDC was even more commendable due to the fact that WDCs were not allocated any funds to assist the less advantaged, but only worked on a voluntary basis. 

“In that light, initiatives such as this one are highly commendable,” he said. He thanked all the companies that assisted through pledges, hailing it as an example of public-private partnership that government advocated for. 

Mr Mosienyane also called on the other WDCs in Jwaneng and other districts to emulate the KWDC and assist the government in developing its people through the provision of decent housing. 

He pledged to design the house that the KWDC was planning to construct. 

The MP for Jwaneng-Mabutsane, Mr Shawn Ntlhaile also hailed the gesture as noble and deserving of all the necessary support. 

“This is especially that Jwaneng has been experiencing a challenge of accommodation for many years. 

As we speak, about 60 per cent of employees contracted to the mine are accommodated in peripheral villages such as Sese, with some even staying as far as Kanye,” he said. 

Mr Ntlhaile said the demand for accommodation had skyrocketed the rentals beyond the financial ability of many individuals, which he said called for laws regulating rentals. 

He also advised the WDCs to consider using the constituency funds to build affordable housing units to address the shortage of accommodation. 

The Chairperson of KWDC, Ms Sheila Mlazie said they identified the needy family during one of their regular home visits around the ward and decided to assist. 

She said they were advised to come up with fundraising activities to fund the two bed-roomed house they were planning to construct. 

“We then decided that the fundraising dinner should be one of such activities, and contacted various companies to assist. It was not easy and we really appreciate everybody who came on-board,” she said. ENDS