10 Feb 2021

Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development, Mr Mmusi Kgafela says he is aware that there are some old unused structures in the country, some of which are used for residential purposes. He said the ministry has compiled an inventory of structures which belonged to government and made recommendations on the way forward regarding the various properties.

Minister Kgafela said in making the recommendations, factors such as the condition of the structures, age and building material were taken into account.

Furthermore, he said government departments had been advised to show their interest in utilising the various structures.

“Although a number of government entities have demonstrated interest in utilising such structures, this has not happened due to budgetary constraints,” he said. Mr Kgafela admitted that some of the buildings needed refurbishment while others needed to be demolished and new structures put in place. He said it was anticipated that when the budget situation improved, the process of refurbishment and redevelopment would commence. 

Furthermore, he said his ministry had also commenced a process to allocate some of the structures to Botswana Housing Corporation for redevelopment.

“Some of the concerned properties belong to various institutions such as Botswana Railways while some are listed buildings under the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism,” he said.

The MP for Ghanzi South, Mr Motsamai Motsamai had asked the minister to brief Parliament about his ministry’s intentions regarding old colonial structures in the whole country since they had turned into  criminal hubs. ends