GCC warns against ‘illegal’ land occupation
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday March 29, 2022 06:00
Through this campaign, the council has been freeing up open spaces by removing unused structures like tuck shops and car wash equipment amongst other things. Explaining the campaign, Unity Mpapane of GCC said: “We have observed that there are a lot of abandoned structures within the city that are an eyesore and some of these structures have been neglected for over five years. These abandoned structures are hiding spots for thieves. They are also an obstruction to road users as most of them are along major roads and bus stops.
This also impacts the aesthetic of the city. To mitigate against this challenge, the council has resorted to removing abandoned and dilapidated structures.” Mpapane said the council, in collaboration with Thusanang Bagwebi, consulted relevant stakeholders and vendors through various platforms such as town hall meetings and public announcements to sensitise them about the council's city upkeep plan. “GCC continues to enjoy the mutual working relationship with Thusanang Bagwebi as a key stakeholder in the city upkeep exercise.
We plead with the vendors and other key stakeholders to keep their surroundings clean and improve the appearance of their tuck shops. The general public is also encouraged to take part in keeping Gaborone clean,” she said. Noting that huge chunks of land have been occupied by unused structures, it is expected that members of the public will scramble for the available land. Senior public relations officer, Isaiah Morewagae has cautioned the public against illegally occupying land. “The open space on which most of these structures were erected remains council land hence the council shall determine how the land should be used. In order to use open spaces, the public is advised to apply for permission to use such open spaces from the departments of Physical Planning, and Housing and Estate Management,” he said Morewagae further said no one will be compensated by the council for displacing their structures. He, however, said the material will be kept in the custody of the council for the owners to claim.
He said for those that remain unclaimed, council shall dispose of in the manner to be determined. “We request all those who are using our open spaces to keep such land clean and use removable structures. It has also come to our attention that some have no permission to set up structures in open spaces, therefore, we plead with members of the public to follow laid down procedure and request permission,” he said.