02 Jun 2026

Leadership of Marapong and Semitwe have been encouraged to find a common ground on the name of the newly constructed police station.

The call was made by Minister for State President, Defence and Security Mr Moeti Mohwasa during a consultative meeting on Friday at Marapong noting that the police station was almost complete and needed to be named prior to its official opening to the public.

He stated that their dispute over the name had prompted him to step in and urged the leadership to resolve the matter amicably, noting that the decision on the naming of the station should bring them together as Batswana.

“This development is meant to serve and help you to fight crime despite coming from two different villages,” he said, adding that they should not allow the issue of naming the newly police station to divide the communities.

However, the minister toured the police station project, and promised to address kgotla meetings on the June 8, 2026 at their respective villages to appreciate the resolution they had taken.

Their decision, he said should be based on land boards reports and maps as well as on submissions made by both parties with regard to the process followed until the construction of the police station.

Earlier on, when briefing the minister on the basis of disagreement, a representative from Marapong, Mr Vincent Mosweu revealed that Marapong community proposed the said police station since 1995 and throughout the years, they were given promises that the government had approved the project.

The project he said was included in National Development Plan 9 until 11 when it was granted.

He highlighted that during the ground breaking of the project, there was a portrait with the name Marapong Police Station written on it, hence they insisted that the name should remain as it is.

Meanwhile, Kgosi Batanani Joseph explained that as Semitwe people they had suggested a neutral name being Manwela, naming it after the stream that separated the two villages to avoid back and forth with their counterparts which he viewed as delay for progress.

He noted that the plot where the station has been built was allocated in 2004 as a ploughing field for Ms Bokani Nthobatsang who originated from Semitwe as per land board records.

Following the agreement between the plot owner and the police, he said land use was changed in 2007 with the lease issued in December 2002 as per land board resolutions which approved it as police plot in Semitwe. ENDS