23 Feb 2014

The open area in front of Tsabong Primary Hospital has been turned into a bus rank by local bus operators and the public is fully convinced that it is a bus rank as most people call it Tsabong main bus rank.

For commuters who board buses in Tsabong going down towards Bokspits- Tsabong and those travelling up north along the Gaborone route, they assemble in front of Tsabong Primary Hospital as these buses commence their journey from this point, except buses that depart before 7:00 am travelling to Gaborone and Jwaneng that uses the bus stop opposite Prison as their route starting point. However these Gaborone and Jwaneng buses also park in front of the hospital upon arrival in Tsabong which is normally in the afternoon.

This space was initially designated as a parking area for the hospital’s customers, staff and ambulances referring patients from clinics from all over Kgalagadi South as the parking lot inside the hospital is limited. The parking lot is now congested since it also accommodates public transporters. 

Opposite the hospital is Trans wholesalers, bottle store, trans cash and carry and Decock Mall, as a result buyers also use this space in front of the hospital as a parking lot, reasoning that it is the only suitable place for parking as there is sufficient shade for their cars provided by the trees planted inside the hospital.

Besides cars parking in this space, multitudes of people gather in front of the hospital some being commuters, patients, shoppers and students of Tsabong primary school during tea break; and after school as the school is adjusted to the hospital.
It is therefore convincing that the various people assembling in front of Tsabong Primary Hospital tend to portray different behaviours and manners.

The mushrooming of people and vehicles in front of the hospital has resulted in shortage of parking to some buses such as Mathibe’s express of Tsabong-Werda route, which has relocated to park in front of Trans Wholesalers.

Tsabong Primary Hospital Senior Medical Records Clerk at the hospital, Mr Jacob Dinao said in an interview with BOPA that the hospital is faced with challenges that are deposited by consequences of this bus rank being situated in front of the hospital.

He regretted that people who gather there use the space as a platform for clubbing, for some buy alcohol from the bottle store nearby and drink it at the rank where multitudes are assembled to grab the attention of these people. Mr Dinao further stated that due to this kind of undesirable behavior there is always a great commotion emerging from the bus rank hindering patients.

In his lament about the problems caused by the bus rank, Dinao stated that people who gather there more especially women who does not have the guts of drinking in public, have a habit of using the hospital toilets as a secret place for drinking alcohol and dump their alcohol bottles in the toilets.

He also pointed out that these people use the hospital toilets which is unlawful since the toilets are strictly meant for patients, them they leave the toilets in a very filthy state.

According to Mr Dinao the filthiness of the toilets is a health hazard for users this situation has compelled the management of the hospital to close the other block of toilets, thus disadvantaging patients who are entitled to use them.

The owner of Country Side Transport, Mr France Gumbo who operates Tsabong –Bokspits route said the current place they are using as a bus rank is suitable for them and their customers as it is nearer to businesses which makes it easier and cheaper for commuters to do their shopping without rushing and to load their luggage without having to spend money on taxis to transport them and their luggage.

He also stated that they are challenged by hitch hiking citing that they lose their customers to private vehicles and this venue is the stop also suitable for hitch hiking, therefore by operating from this venue it is easier for them to prevent losing profits to private vehicle owners who are operating unlawfully.
He stated that it will not be fair for them to be relocated to another place. 

Even though Mr Gumbo argues this way, Mr Donald Batlhalefi who is also a bus driver for Double Action transport of Tsabong –Gaborone route opposes that the location is not suitable to be used as a bus rank.

He argued that there is too much improper parking and people under the influence of alcohol and drugs can be causative agents for accidents.

“As bus operators we should not only think of money making, but also consider the lives and health of people. It is unhygienic and unhealthy to have a bus rank without water and sanitation facilities, if that is to happen people’s lives and health will be at great risk and if they die where will we get customers and profit from? It is going to hit us hard and we will only have ourselves to blame, for these reasons I plead with stakeholders to establish a user friendly bus rank,” Batlhalefi said.   

He also said the current location is not good for a bus rank reasoning that the school is situated next to the hospital explaining that the commotion and the undesirable behavior portrayed by some people who assemble at the rank attracts attention of scholars who can even copy this behavior not knowing that it is not right as some students are too young to distinguish between right and wrong.

Ms Mantwa Otladisang a small scale entrepreneur who operates her business in front of the hospital stated that it is disadvantageous to entrepreneurs who operate in front of the hospital as commuters litter and this causes conflicts between them and the hospital management over filthy surrounding. She added that most of the times they witness misdemeanours practiced by people who gather at the bus rank, saying the illicit acts include assault and theft.

In an interview with relevant officials of the Department of Transport and Road Safety, to find out if this space is gazzeted to be a bus rank, Mr Tawana Babili who is the transport officer for Kgalagadi South responded that this space is ungazzeted to be a bus rank, bus operators allocated this space as a bus rank for themselves. He further revealed that the place is not conducive and does not even meet the standards of being an interim bus rank as it does not have water nor toilet facilities which are mainly required in a bus rank.

Furthermore, he said due to absence of toilets, commuters have developed a tendency of using the surroundings of the hospital such as the narrow passages as their ablution blocks which is unhygienic and health hazardous more so that a hospital is a sensitive place which needs utmost neatness.

The transport officer also stated that there is no compliance to transport regulations by bus operators, for instance it is very difficult for his office to enforce the departure time law, as the departure origin is unknown as there is no bus rank to provide a starting point for the route.

He said this causes conflicts amongst bus operators as they complain that their counterparts are delaying to depart on time and are hijacking their customers and such issues can also be hard for his office to intervene and apply the laws, for with the starting point of the route not stated such bus operators successfully defend themselves easily.

Mr Babili said his office is waiting for the district council to build a bus rank that will also enable them to reinforce laws to bus operators to abide by bus rank regulations. He explained that the situation is worrisome to both his office and the council.

However, he said the council has promised to request the Village Development Committee in Tsabong to avail the market place opposite Prisons to be used as an interim bus rank.

The Deputy Council Secretary-Technical and Social Services, Mr Godimo Garegope told BOPA in an interview that there is no plot allocated for the bus rank. He explained that currently the bus rank is not in their National Development Plan due to insufficient funds caused by the economic recession.

Mr Garegope said the council is in the process of establishing an interim bus rank at the market place, saying they are delayed by water and sanitation facilities which are one of their ongoing Ipelegeng projects.

In addition he said they were hoping to complete the project in due course to bring a relief to all the affected ones. ENDS