09 Dec 2013

Parliament has adopted a motion requesting government to establish an Economic Diversification Unit for Lobatse similar to the Selebi Phikwe Economic Diversification.

Moving the motion in parliament on Friday, December 6, Lobatse MP, Mr Nehemiah Modubule said Lobatse was gradually descending in to a ghost town despite being the oldest town and at one point intended to be the capital of Botswana.

Given its historical significance to the country, he said Lobatse should by now be one of the oldest growing towns in the country. He indicated that the 2011 population censors illustrated a declined in the population of Lobatse, therefore attributed decrease to the declining economic activities in the town.

The economy of Lobatse, he said faces stagnation and the private sector has failed to take the lead line with the NDP 8 theme of ‘Sustainable economic Diversification’, as industries are either closing down or relocating to other towns as was the case with Ben Rose Industries which closed down, Lobatse Tile Ltd which used to employ close to 210 people also closed down and Lobatse Clay Works also has its main challenges.

He said Botswana Meat Commission has significantly retrenched its own staff adding the future of BMC also looks uncertain when one considers its current state of affairs. With the relocation of the High Court and the closure of the Lobatse College of Education, Mr Modubule said the town faces extinction as these were major employers in the town.

He said although Lobatse is classified as a primary center in terms of the National Settlement Policy, its proximity to other primary centers particularly Gaborone means that it faces strong competition for private investments necessary for stimulation of local economic development and creation of employment opportunities.


 He added that in order to accelerate diversification of the economy of Lobatse from agro-based industry to manufacturing and tourism industry, there is need to make Lobatse a tourism area by exploiting its scenic beauty and areas of historical importance. ENDS