15 Jan 2026

Nestled between a mountain belt about 70 kilometres south of Gaborone lies Botswana’s first vibrant urban settlement, established in the 18^th century.

Once the cradle of the country’s economy, Lobatse later experienced decline due to limited economic activity. Lobatse has since been outpaced by other urban centres, prompting government to take a deliberate decision to revitalise the town through the Lobatse Regeneration Plan. 

Lobatse District Officer for Development, Ms Malebogo Basima said government was working on promoting Lobatse through infrastructure development by partnering with investors, bolstering the heritage trail, and positioning the town as a meat Special Economic Zone.

She said so far, implementation of the Lobatse Regeneration Plan 2017–2024, a strategy designed to provide urban design and revitalisation solutions has yielded results, albeit at a slow pace.

The lead town economist revealed that notable achievements included the construction of a modern shopping mall at the old bus rank and the development of the Lobatse Leather Park, which was gradually taking shape.

She noted that the strategy focused on six key areas, including redesigning urban corridors as well as primary and secondary roads to increase traffic volumes, attract investors and tourists, and support sustainable community development.

“We are looking at creating appropriate transition from the major roads such as the A1 which starts from Ramatlabama to Ramokgwebana and the A2 road. This is where we will like to do the town facelift because A1 just like A2 is an economic road,” she said.

Ms Basima further said plans were underway to upgrade the old Central Business District through the development of a commercial node. Other developments, she said included construction of an upmarket mall at the town park, establishment of a five-star hotel with a state-of-the-art conference facility, and development of a truck stop.

She said Lobatse’s location along the Trans-Kalahari Corridor made it ideal, given the high volume of truck traffic from neighbouring countries.

“W are trying to position ourselves to offer investors opportunities and partnerships. We are developing recreational sites and conserving historical sites. Land has been set aside for a Special Economic Zone for the meat industry and dairy production, which will help develop value chains and downstream projects such as the leather park, milk processing industries, and other related ventures. We also have upcoming water projects,” she said.

She added that activities such as the Lobatse Heritage Walk, celebration of Samora Machel’s birthday, the Bandleng Live Soccer Heritage Cup and the drag racing events, had been initiated to revitalise the town. Ms Basima said development of the Local Economic Development Strategy was underway, with community consultations ongoing.

“We will identify Lobatse’s comparative advantages and use them to our benefit,” she said.

She identified old and abandoned structures as one of the town’s major challenges, particularly in the commercial area, describing them as an eyesore. Some of the properties are privately owned, with owners unknown.

“Government, through the urban development committee, is working on tracing such individuals. Dilapidated buildings owned by government, will be refurbished for use by youth who have benefited from the Youth Development Fund. These buildings can be converted into youth business incubation centres,” she said.

To further boost the town, she said the Lobatse Town Council was partnering with the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy to develop a heritage trail, capitalising on the town’s rich history.

“We have not fully exploited our heritage. The trail will package all our historical sites and position our hospitality industry so that tourists have more to see. This can also stimulate downstream activities such as tour guiding, curio shops and other cultural enterprises,” she said.

Additionally, she said the council was working with the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) and the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA) to expand the town’s investment portfolio, while developing new service standards aimed at attracting investors and improving ease of doing business in Lobatse. BOPA