GCC to remove foreigners from market places
Larona Makhaiza | Monday October 13, 2025 06:28
Addressing the media, the Mayor stated that for the longest time, local citizens have been sidelined, taken advantage of, while the stalls should be primarily reserved for them only.
He stressed that it is quite unfair that the stalls are now strongly dominated by foreign nationals who then, in the end, hire Batswana as cheap labour at these stalls.
“We have met with entrepreneurs at the Gaborone Bus rank and all foreigners on the same day, we reached a decision that all foreigners at the rank as well as in the city markets to move,” Motlaleng said.
Motlaleng emphasised that this strategy is aimed at all foreign nationals it does of whether the foreigners are legal or not.
“All foreigners, even the ones that are illegal and run illegal businesses in the city of Gaborone, will be removed, and that’s what we have agreed upon as well as instructing them,” he said.
With the bus rank as the starting point of their initiative of chasing out the foreigners, the mayor said they are not specifically targeting the rank, but will roll out to other marketplaces.
Motlaleng stated that he is aware of the implications that might arise from their exercise but highlighted that they are unfazed by them.
“We are going to remove foreigners from all the marketplaces in Gaborone, and we are not doing this to cause unrest in our country, as we are responsible. We know how to go about it,” Motlaleng said.
As the council’s plan is underway to chase away foreigners, he indicated that the council has already started identifying marketplaces that will be occupied by Batswana once foreigners are removed.
“We have already allocated places to Batswana at the bus rank where their business will run. These are people who had already registered,” he said.
As indicated in the past, the mayor further stated that the council is owed P15 million by businesses from their marketplaces, who have all been given until December 31st to vacate the premises.
Although those people have been told to vacate the marketplaces, Motlaleng said the council wholly expects the council to be paid its dues by people who owe it or face repercussions.