26 Jan 2022

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development is not aware of unknown tenants occupying old governmental residential houses at central Francistown.

Responding to a question at Ntlo ya Dikgosi on Wednesday, the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development, Mr Eric Molale said the ministry regularly compiled a list of dilapidated structures and underutilised plots throughout the country and consulted the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services for the destruction of the said properties to facilitate new housing development.

The ministry, he said, was aware of some pool houses in Francistown central that were either government owned or BHC owned.

“These houses are located at government camp and Minestone which are occupied by the public officers duly allocated by the relevant Housing Allocation Committee,” he said.

He also said there was one vacant house at Francistown Central and three at Minestone, which used to be leased to government by BHC that had been returned to BHC and had become part of the BHC plans for redevelopment.

At Governmet Camp, he explained, there were two neighbouring plots, one with a block of four vacant flats and a vacant BHC High Cost house. He however elaborated that the two plots had been combined and plans were underway to develop 24 High Rise Units.

Minister Molale said the ministry through BHC was in the process of redeveloping those vacant plots including the 2.9 hectares on which the Minestone low cost are situated.

Kgosi Sibangani Mosojane of North East had asked the minister if he was aware that there were unknown tenants occupying the old government residential houses at Central Francistown City.

He also wanted to know if it was not opportune to auction those houses so that they could be developed. ENDS