23 Jan 2022

High rentals in Jwaneng, are a cause for concern, and need to be looked at as a matter of urgency.

Presenting their priorities during the National Development Plan 12 consultations at Jwaneng kgotla on Wednesday, most ward representatives indicated that the rentals were prohibitive, especially for low-income earners.

The average monthly rental for an ordinary one-room in Jwaneng is around P1000.

A representative for Seole ward, Ms Maungo Ditsele said the high rentals made life difficult for low-income youth, with most not even able to go home to check on their parents.

She therefore called on government to establish a regulatory measure for the rentals.

Ms Ditsele further argued that the rentals were only set with high-income employees in mind.

Other wards representatives indicated that the high rentals led to unhygienic practices as people were forced to congest.

They therefore called for the servicing of land for people to be allocated plots to build houses.

They said that the high rentals forced people to seek cheaper accommodation in nearby villages such as Sese, which led to daily commuting and thereby low productivity due to fatigue. Residents also called for a senior secondary school as a priority for NDP 12.

They argued students from Jwaneng were admitted as far as Gantsi, which led to poor participation in students’ education by parents.

They also called for the extension of Jwaneng police station as the current one was congested, so much that the police attended to issues that needed privacy in the common office.

They also requested an e-services centre, where most government services could be accessed electronically.

Briefing the community on the way forward, Jwaneng Town Council principal economist, Mr Frank Dexter said the proposals would be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development through that of Local Government and Rural Development, which will then guide government on national and local developments for the next six years.

However, he advised that not all their proposals would be adopted, while others may be implemented through private public partnerships.

“Your proposals will be considered in competition with others from 16 other districts across the country, so it is always vital to propose along government priorities to have a better chance of being funded, he said. For her part, Jwaneng mayor, Ms Olga Ditsie likened the proposals to a shopping list, with the possibility of abandoning some items due to budgetary constraints.

“Challenges such as the current COVID-19 pandemic will determine which proposals are adopted and which ones are rejected, so do not be surprised if you only get a few of your proposals approved from the whole wish list,” she cautioned.

Ms Ditsie however, admitted that most of the projects proposed by the community were a necessity for the town, adding that councillors were also aware of their need.

She said that this called for other avenues of achieving them, such as private partnerships with the business community. ENDS