Monarch location 'overcrowded and filthy'
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Wednesday June 25, 2025 13:00
The survey results were shared by Francistown city mayor Gaone Majere in his address during full council yesterday (Monday). He stated that the council, in partnership with UN Habitat, Department of Town and Country Planning, and Botswana Homeless and Poor People’s Federation has completed Monarch enumeration exercise and profiling through PSUP. The mayor that PSUP aims to improve poor structural quality of housing, overcrowding, inadequate access to safe water, inadequate access to sanitation, other infrastructure and unsecure residential status within cities.
He indicated that a total of 1,359 households participated in the survey of which 64% were females and 36% males.
The outcome of the survey is such that there is overcrowding in Monarch and there are poor sanitation conditions, he added.
Majere highlighted that a workshop is scheduled for June 30 at Monarch Kgotla to give feedback to the community and come up with a visioning and action plan for the identified challenges.
He, therefore, urged all the stakeholders to continue working together to achieve Sustainable Development Goal of adequate, safe and affordable housing.
According to Majere, they recognise the true strength of their community lies not in buildings or infrastructure, but in the people who call Francistown home.
“It is our people, their hopes, their dreams, their struggles that shape the fabric of this great city,” he added.
The Francistown mayor stated that housing is more than just a physical structure, it is a basic human need.
It provides shelter, security, and a foundation upon which individuals and families can build their lives and thrive, he added.
He stated that the government recently launched the Bonno Housing Programme, a bold and compassionate initiative aimed at reducing housing shortages and enhancing housing security for low and middle-income households.
Furthermore, Majere said the Bonno Housing Programme is thoughtfully designed with three distinct schemes to address diverse housing needs thus the Bonno Turnkey scheme, the Home Improvement scheme, and the Bonno D4 Scale and below or equivalent housing scheme.
He added that each of these schemes serve a vital purpose in ensuring that no one in our community is left without a safe and dignified place to call home.
“In this financial year alone, we have funded eight beneficiaries, five under the Turnkey scheme, and three through Home Improvement.
“These numbers represent more than just statistics, they mark real lives transformed, families uplifted, and hope restored,” he continued.
Majere said that they have recently invited tenders from the public for applications under the D4 and below or equivalent housing scheme, opening the door even wider for those who qualify to access this noble programme.