Ramogapi admits to Bonno housing failures
Sharon Mathala | Wednesday October 29, 2025 06:00
Addressing the media yesterday, Ramogapi stated that, for instance, the Kgale View housing project, which was expected to create hundreds of jobs and deliver affordable homes for Batswana, has instead become a “learning curve” for his new ministry. The Bonno scheme was envisioned as a flagship partnership between the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) and Namibian developer ONGOS Group to develop 50 hectares of land in the Kgale area, with one-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom houses on offer at accessible prices.
The minister admitted that the government has, in some instances, over-promised and under-delivered.
“Kgale View project ne ya re tlhabisa ditlhong (Kgale humiliated us),” he said.
“Those are some of the things where we admit that we went wrong. We don’t want to say we are doing well when we are not,' Ramogapi further stated. 'We are human, and in this journey, we will make mistakes. We accept the mistake, and we accept the backlash. We will learn from it so that it doesn’t happen again. Once beaten, twice shy.”
The minister further added that some of the delays affecting the Bonno project stemmed from land availability, stalling the development’s progress. “To be honest, this is a new model and we are bound to make genuine mistakes. We admit where we fell short; the important thing is to rise, correct, and move forward.”
However, giving statistics, Ramogapi revealed that a total of 34,567 houses are under different phases of construction across the country.
The Bonno Housing Scheme had been touted as a key driver of economic activity, with BHC officials projecting that it would create over 1,000 construction and service jobs during its implementation phase. However, the partnership soured after disputes emerged over land ownership and due diligence, with the Namibian investors reportedly taking legal action against BHC.
“I don’t want to get into details for legal reasons, I have been advised not to, lest my utterances be used against me in the courts of law,” Ramogapi said.
Still at the press briefing, Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gaselemogwe Senai, also addressed the Smart Meter Project, another key initiative under the ministry, admitting that it too has encountered significant implementation challenges. The P2 billion project designed to modernise Botswana’s water billing and monitoring system has been hit by procurement and manufacturing delays, forcing an extension of the first phase.
“The project is currently 81% complete, with 49,800 prepaid meters installed against the planned 60,000. Because of these delays, we have extended the targeted completion date for Phase 1 to November 30, 2025,” Senai disclosed.
The CEO attributed the setbacks to the supply chain constraints and technical integration issues but assured that corrective measures were underway to ensure the system’s reliability.
Turning to water arrears, the CEO revealed alarming figures. Senai said the corporation’s total debt now stands at P1.6 billion, with government departments leading at over P728 million as of September—up from P493 million during the same period last year. Councils owe about P90 million, up from P46 million, whilst private businesses account for P175 million. Meanwhile, domestic arrears have slightly improved, declining from P800 million last year to P683 million this year.