06 Jun 2023

Botswana’s model of spatial planning to transform slum dwellings into more habitable residential areas has earned praise from different stakeholders at the Second United Nations (UN) Habitat Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.

In an event held on the sidelines of the assembly, representatives of state actors and non-government organisations from South Africa, Zambia and Kenya concurred that Botswana offered a good model for slum transformation planning.

Minister of Transport and Public Works, Mr Eric Molale had noted that government worked on redeveloping crowded urban areas such as Old Naledi in Gaborone, Boikhutso and Monarch in Francistown into more habitable neighbourhoods.

“To reduce overcrowding, we resettled some residents elsewhere, then provided land servicing, primarily water, roads as well as electricity and sewerage systems.

In a nutshell, government has worked on redeveloping and providing dignity to those areas previously characterised by substandard housing, overcrowding and lack of basic amenities like education, health, and secure land tenure, where poverty, unemployment and crime had become rampant,” Mr Molale said.

He said over the years, government had introduced assistance mechanisms to offer support to low-income earners to own land and develop their plots to mitigate against overcrowding in high-density urban settlements.

“In the past, we introduced a certificate of right, as a form of land tenure. As it did not attract collateral if the event one tried to borrow money against a piece of land for building, the Self Help Housing Agency (SHAA) became an instrument where the government would loan funds for building materials, and the repayment is done gradually with zero interest,” Mr Molale revealed.

He said in more recent times, government introduced the secure land title which could be used as collateral to secure loans for construction of urban housing.

Adding her contribution, the Minister of Environment and Tourism Ms Philda Kereng said government seeks smart sustainable urban development for both improved livelihoods of citizens and boosting the tourist value of the country’s cities.

“We are looking at facilitating the delivery of services from government to the people, enabling them to reside well and trade. Also as they trade in vegetables, arts and crafts and other goods, we want to ensure that when visitors come, they can access their places, reach the products and be attracted by the aesthetics of our urban spaces,” Ms Kereng said.

The mayor of Francistown Mr Godisang Radisigo told the gathering that while most of his city’s neighbourhoods do not fit the global description of slum conditions, there have been residential areas characterised by overcrowding, lack of secure tenure and severely deprived of sewerage, stormwater drainage as well as housing structural quality.

“The city is trying to address this shortfall in undertaking Participatory Neighborhood Planning, having started with Monarch neighbourhood. It is an exciting exercise that allows the community to be the solution to their problems,” Mr Radisigo said.

He added that the Francistown City Council is currently reviewing its Spatial Plan, with further engagement and incorporation of low-income solutions to be included. Ends