01 Dec 2021

Peleng residents in Lobatse have asked for prioritisation of the construction of a new hospital and acquisition of land for expansion of the town under the next Urban Development Plan 5 (UDP). 

The residents made the requests on Tuesday in a consultative meeting held at Peleng Customary court with the town leadership. 

The UDP 5, which will effect in April 2023, will run simultaneously with the National Development Plan (NDP) 12.

The residents pointed out that a new hospital should be a priority because Athlone Hospital was old and dilapidated. Athlone is currently the only hospital in Greater Lobatse District Health Management area. 

“We are disappointed that the expansion of Athlone Hospital was not done even though we proposed in 2018 for it to be a priority. We therefore call on government to build a new hospital for us in the next development plan, “ said one of the residents, Mr Tlamelo Nkemelang. 

The residents further implored the town leadership to prioritise finding land for expansion of the town during UDP 5 to facilitate allocation of new residential plots. 

They said lack of land was the main reason behind the slow plot allocation in Lobatse. They also asked for construction of a library in Peleng, and that of a foot bridge connecting the township with Lobatse mall and the bus rank. 

They further proposed for construction of vehicle overhead bridges at major railway crossing points in the town. Furthermore, they called for development of tourism activities in hills around the town to create employment and boost the town's economy. Lobatse town clerk, Mr Nelson Mogapi pointed out that the objective of the meeting was to propose developments that the community wanted to be prioritised in the next development plan. 

“It is the policy of government to do bottom-up planning when formulating a new development plan. Therefore, we are here today to consult about what the needs of the community are and the developments they want,” he said. 

The Lobatse Town Council principal economist, Ms Estinah Mmereki informed residents that most of the projects that were planned for the town in the current UDP 4 were successfully completed. 

She said the projects included maintenance of primary schools, digitisation of schools, construction of new classroom block at Newlook Primary School, an overhead pedestrian bridge, and 13 houses for destitute people. She

 added that the water network project was ongoing, while construction of Lobatse Leather Park would commence next year. 

She said projects that had not been done were construction of Motswedi customary court, upgrading of Athlone Hospital, and renovation of police houses in Peleng West. Ends