22 Jan 2025

Six human remains have been discovered at the construction site for 150 institutional housing project in Kasane, which is part of the Kasane-Kazungula redevelopment project.

Addressing a Kgotla meeting in Kasane yesterday, the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi acknowledged that government made a mistake of failure to conduct thorough consultations with the people of Chobe District before the commencement of the project in 2024.

He said these consultations could have revealed that the construction site was sitting on old compounds in Palamaokue where families buried their loved ones within the compounds.

Mr Mmolotsi pointed that an Environmental Impact Assessment survey and soil tests were carried out before the project commencement, which indicated that there were no irregularities underground.

However, he said upon excavations to lay foundations for the building structure, the remains were discovered and subsequently taken for forensic tests which proved to be human remains.

The Minister apologised to the people of Chobe for this mishap, which was caused by inaccuracies and lack of consultations. He stated that the remains were kept well at a laboratory awaiting tests to identify their families and would be buried accordingly.

Mr Mmolotsi requested residents with families that resided at Palamaokue to register with the District Commissioners Office in order to start the process of identifying the remains. He stated that government had decided to continue with the project, but had diverted building on the ground where the remains were discovered.

He said the 150 institutional housing project was one of the major components of the Kasane-Kazungula redevelopments projects hence could not be suspended.

Commenting on the matter, Chobe residents from Pandamatenga to Parakarungu remarked that failure to consult with the residents had bred all the disasters and inaccuracies of the human remains discovery.

They stated that such calamities could have been solved through consultations as residents could have come forward with information to show that their families were buried at the site.

Residents highlighted that this was not a peculiar matter in Botswana history as graveyards had been relocated in the past to pave way for developments.

Many people came forward to indicate that their families lived at the Palamaokue site where family members were buried. They expressed willingness to assist government in conducting tests to identify family members of the human remains.

Kgosi Rebecca Banika of Pandamatenga explained that Palamaokue was a common burial site for people of Chobe from Pandamatenga to Parakarungu due to its proximity to clinics and hospitals in Kasane and Livingstone, Zambia, where many sought medical assistance.

She said when a patient passed on at the hospital, families buried them in Kasane because back in the 1960s there were no mortuary services to transport the corpse as far as Pandamatenga.

Kgosi Banika stated that many households in Chobe buried their loved ones in the compounds hence highlighted the need for thorough research, surveys and consultations whenever a new development is projected for Chobe. ENDS