25 Feb 2021

Preparations on re-development of Jwaneng’s Samaphaletshe is under way, states Jwaneng Town Council (JTC) mayor, Ms Olga Ditsie.

Speaking during the first JTC virtual full council meet on Tuesday, Ms Ditsie indicated that the exercise was being conducted by the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) .

She said BHC was still profiling residents in that area and that the exercise, which started last year was expected to be completed by end of this month.

Ms Ditsie said the profiling exercise would be followed by data analysis that would inform BHC on the suitable re-development and relocation model for both BHC and non-BHC tenants. 

She also said, although land had already been secured for relocation, it was important to note that the re-development and relocation would require stakeholder consultations and a lot of capital.

 “As a critical stakeholder we are actively engaged with BHC to determine the best cooperation model that will not only bring returns to council but also improve the beauty and general aesthetics of the town. Our concerns remain with the perceived project delays and wish to call on our partner, BHC to expedite the project,” she said.

Samaphaletshe houses were constructed during the infancy years of the town and over the years came to be synonymous with Jwaneng. 

At the moment it accommodates mostly council employees of lower scale.

As the houses sit on a prime area, the land owners, BHC had over the years indicated a desire to relocate the residents and demolish the structures before replacing them with modern ones to lure high class tenants.

Meanwhile, Ms Ditsie informed the councilors that the process of allocating 75 plots that were unclaimed during the 2013 allocation was on-going. 

She said that all urban councils and BHC had completed vetting to prevent double allocation and that JTC was awaiting a response from the office of the Deeds Registry, after which the plots would be allocated to deserving applicants. ends