�Botswana is not immune to slums�
Patricia Edwin | Wednesday October 8, 2014 16:26
Mokalake was speaking at the 10th World Habitat Day Commemoration, which was held in Matsiloje Village on Monday under the theme, “Voices From the Slums”.
“While we do not have slum settlements like in other countries, I can confirm that we do have households living under slum conditions,” he said.
He said that this is evident in former squatter settlements in urban areas. Mokalake said that the United Nations Habitat defines slums as households living under the same roof which lack one or more of five elements.
The elements include durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions. Other elements are that the housing has sufficient living space with not more than three people sharing the same room, easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts and at an affordable price.
Occupants of such housing should also have access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a reasonable number of people and security of tenure that prevents forced evictions.
“It is evident in former squatter settlements in our urban areas. These neighbourhoods have many households that lack one or more of the five indicators of slums,” he said. Mokalake further said that government has since made efforts to upgrade some of the areas to enable them to have similar levels of basic amenities.
“Priority has been given to the provision of water, sewerage services, electricity, road infrastructure, street lighting, and issuing land certificates, leases or title deeds to secure ownership to property,” said Mokalake.
The minister further said that it is for the same reason that a national land registration exercise has been launched. “I am happy that in the North East District properties have been surveyed in Masunga, Tsamaya, Matshelagabedi, Tati Siding, Matsiloje and Matopi.
“This is a step in the right direction for indeed land registration plays a pivotal role in the national economy,” he said.
Mokalake said that according to the 2011 population and housing census, about 25 percent of households live in one-roomed houses and shacks. “Some of these housing conditions pose a great risk to their inhabitants as they cannot withstand natural disasters,” he said.
He added that in the past, incidences of households affected by natural disasters particularly floods in the NED including here in Matsiloje and Matopi were reported.
“These were attributed to the durability of building materials that were affected by this catastrophe,” added Mokalake.
He further said that slums come about because of a number of forces, which include rapid rural to urban migration, increasing urban poverty and inequality, lack of proactive planning as well as land management and insecure tenure.
He said that it has been observed that sustainable solutions to the slum problem can only be achieved if governments, international aid agencies and civil society organisations engage slum dwellers on a common approach to improving their living conditions.
“Slum dwellers have aspirations on the future of their environs and the extent to which they can be involved to improve the quality of their living conditions,” he added.