24 Jun 2025

Business Botswana through Private Sector Disaster Response Fund has committed P1 million toward road works in Francistown. 

This was said by the Francistown City Council Mayor, Mr Gaone Majere during a full council meeting yesterday. Mr Majere said collaboration between the private sector and the government was vital in service delivery and improvement of people’s lives. He said this support would go toward potholes repairs, renewal of road markings and the improvement of road signage across the city.

“This initiative complements the council’s ongoing efforts and exemplifies how public-private collaboration can accelerate service delivery,” he said.

He further outlined another private gesture in assisting the public where five families in Francistown received furniture donations from Western Furniture, made possible through the fund. He added that the furniture valued at P150 000 targeted 15 households in Francistown, Tonota and North East District. This, he said, demonstrated the private sector’s commitment in uplifting communities stating. 

“I strongly encourage continued collaboration with private sector through Business Botswana to expand investment and social development initiatives. Our shared goal is to transform Francistown into a thriving investment centre,” he said.

The mayor also mentioned that his roadmap emphasised support for small businesses as a backbone of the local economy. He further revealed that P1 million was allocated for paving one of the designated operational spaces located behind the First National Bank (FNB) building, a project which would be implemented through the Ipelegeng Skills Development Component.

Other initiatives being implemented to stimulate the city’s economy, he said, included branding of the interchange road, (spaghetti road) which is a partnership between the council and Botswana Oil, construction of entry and exist points signage as well as creation of a distinct and appealing identity of the city.

Regarding the infrastructure improvement, Mr Majere pointed that the city council was committed to maintaining roads to be safe and in good condition. He indicated that since April, a total area of 537m² Cold Asphalt Premix and 1 690m² gravel material were successfully patched across major roads. However, he mentioned that adverse weather conditions resulted in new instances and some patched areas were recurring.

Still on roads maintenance, Mr Majere commended the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs for the provision of P3.7 million allocated for pothole patching and street lighting. Of that amount, P2.4 million had been specifically designated for road maintenance as the city council is dedicated to improving the state of roads and ensuring community’s safety.

Meanwhile, Mayor Majere has encouraged the public to come forth and clear their debts as the council was in a process of engaging a debt collector to fast track and improve efficiency in debt recovery. Currently, he said the council had managed to collect about P2.2 million of P140 million in rates since the beginning of the financial year, which was owed to the council, translating to 1.54 per cent. ENDS