According to Francistown Mayor, Mr Gaone Majere, council officials had already met with the developer.

The mayor added that the project was overdue as the market was demolished years ago after a court ordered the eviction of illegal occupants to make way for redevelopment.

Mr Majere apologised to Francistown residents for the delays, saying the issue had dragged on back and forth without a solution.

Mr Majere said the June start date marked a fresh push to break the deadlock and deliver the redevelopment that residents had been waiting for.

The council had offered alternative trading spaces, but vendors rejected them, saying the locations were not strategic.

Local traders have also indicated that the stalled project has hurt business in the area.

One of them, Mr Boitumelo Masake, a shoe repairer operating near the market, said he was eager for construction to start so trading could resume.

“We want the market to start operating so that there can be economic activity again, like before. That activity supports businesses like mine,” he said.

The Francistown central market was occupied by vendors for years until the Francistown City Council moved to clear the site for redevelopment.

In February 2022, the council gave vendors final eviction letters through their association, instructing them to vacate by February 28, 2022.

When they did not comply, the council applied to the High Court for an eviction order on March 31, 2022. The eviction was to pave the way for Amasa Civils, a 100 per cent citizen-owned company, which had leased the market plot and was unveiled as the developer in 2020, to redevelop the plot.

Amasa was granted a 25-year lease to build a modern business complex and will be paying the council P28 000 per month.

Under the agreement, Amasa is expected to construct a multi-purpose commercial complex that matches the standard of other developments in Francistown’s CBD. 

The design includes retail units, office space, and structured trading stalls intended to restore order and provide a secure, modern environment for vendors and shoppers.

Construction was initially expected to start in September 2022 after handover and design work, but disputes with occupants stalled the project. ENDS