Ramogapi & Co should clear the Bonno confusion

The Monitor Editor | Wednesday January 14, 2026 11:55

According to a report elsewhere in this publication, various district councils announced that a one-bedroom home now costs over P130,000 more, a near-unthinkable 32% increase. This isn't just a minor adjustment, but a devastating blow to the dream of affordable home ownership for ordinary citizens.

What is most alarming is not just the scale of the increase, but the profound confusion it has exposed. Minister Ramogapi has publicly ‘disowned’ these new loan amounts, calling for an immediate review. Whilst his intervention is welcome, it raises serious questions. Who authorised these notices to be issued if they do not reflect government policy? The left hand clearly does not know what the right hand is doing, and it is the public, full of hope from past promises, who are left dizzy and distressed.

This episode has severely shaken public trust. The UDC government was elected on a clear promise of delivering affordable housing, amongst other things. The Bonno scheme was a flagship of that pledge. To see it spiral into a spectacle of contradictory messages and unaffordable price tags is simply unacceptable. Affordable housing should not be a moving target, nor a subject of bureaucratic infighting.

Therefore, we issue a clear call to action. Minister Ramogapi, the Botswana Housing Corporation, and all stakeholders must immediately get their house in order. There must be one clear and affordable message communicated to the nation. End the internal discord and public confusion. It was rather unfortunate that changes, if any, to such a key programme with a lot of people having shown interest, were communicated through a meeting with the public or a press conference, so that questions may be asked and input from stakeholders sought.

Most crucially, you must return to your core promise of affordability. Reviewing the prices is not enough. You must review the entire model, streamline costs, and deliver a product that D4 scale public servants and other Batswana can genuinely afford without being saddled with debt for a lifetime. The objective was to build homes, not anxiety. The people have remained calm, as requested. It is now time for leadership, clarity, and most of all, action that puts Batswana’s need for a decent, affordable home above all else. Do not let this vital scheme collapse under the weight of its own contradictions.