04 Mar 2014

The investigation conducted by Department of Town and Country Planning, Department of Technical Services and Geological Survey has not identified any collapsing land, thus posing a danger to the residents of the area north of Gandukuni road in phase four.

The Minister of Lands and Housing, Mr Lebonaamang Mokalake told Parliament recently that prior to the allocation of plots in Phase four, the then Ministry of Local Government and Lands engaged Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners engineering consultants in 1979, to carry out engineering feasibility studies for the development of Gaborone West.

Minister Mokalake said soil samples were tested and classified and the soils in Marulamantsi ward were considered good for construction. He said on the basis of engineering studies that had been conducted for Gaborone West development, the properties within Marulamantsi ward were safe and had not been built on top of sink holes.

The minister said if there were any specific sites that warranted further soils investigation, the ministry would do it on the basis of detailed information for such sites.

Mr Mokalake was responding to a question from the Member of Parliament for Gaborone West South, Mr Botsalo Ntuane who had asked him whether he was aware that land in the north western side of Gandukuni road in Phase four, Marulamantsi ward was collapsing and posed danger to residents.

MP Ntuane also asked the minister whether properties around the area were safe and not built on top of sink holes which would in the long term collapse ending in disaster and if he would consider carrying out thorough investigation on the issue. BOPA