Tonota District to explore mining sites for economic diversification
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Monday April 14, 2025 11:28


Sefume told Mmegi that the district possesses many mining sites that could eventually boost the local economy. He said they would like to explore and acquire the mining rights so that they could lease the facilities to various mining companies. The process would help identify mineral deposits with economic potential, he added.
He elaborated that so far, they have identified some few minerals such as uranium, copper deposits, clay soil (native earth coloured with hydrated iron oxide) and coal around villages within their district such as Foley, Serule, Patayamatebele and others. According to Sefume, they have located coal 30km west of Foley.
He further said the district is currently working with the Department of Mines to gain access to the aforementioned mineral resources. He stated that the sourcing of the mineral sites would aid their sustainable and economic development.
The chairperson said mineral exploration is also crucial for sustainable resource management and economic potential exploration. He said that after they have leased out some of the mining sites, the industries will provide employment opportunities in the mining and other related fields. He indicated that the move will not only benefit their community but contribute to regional economies and the country as a whole.
Sefume indicated that their goal is to modernise Tonota District in the next 10 years. He also said that the District’s economy, like any other region in the country, is currently heavily dependent on diamond revenues. He stated that the objective is to elevate the district from the middle to high-earning class. Speaking about different district concerns, Sefume stated that since the district functions as a complete council district, they would like to construct a new council chamber. In 2023, the then ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)-led government upgraded 22 Sub-districts across the country including the TDC to be a fully fledged council through a National Decentralisation Strategy. The strategy is aimed at improving capacity and coordination amongst stakeholders at different levels of government to enhance performance, efficiency, equity and sustainability of public spending.
Meanwhile, Sefume said they would like the council chambers to be open to the general public in order for individuals to attend council sessions.
“A lot of people are not attending our council session meetings at the moment due to the limited space,” he continued.
Since there is no middleman, Sefume stated that as a fully functional district, they need to improve their service delivery. Additionally, he explained that this is in contrast to previous times when they functioned as a sub-district and all decisions required approval from the main Centradl District headquarters in Serowe.
He proposed the idea of establishing a veterinary headquarters in Tonota. Additionally, he stated that the region must create its own District Health Management Team (DHMT), in order to cease depending on the Francistown DHMT.
He also maintained that the Tonota and Marapong Sub-Land Boards, which are both under the jurisdiction of the Ngwato Land Board should become one and serve their people better.
Therefore, he recommended the two Sub-Land Boards to merge and function as a single entity in order to enhance the quality of services and bring services closer to the people. He said enhancing governance would also be greatly aided by the Land Board’s decentralisation.