A house number could save your life

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Friday April 30, 2010 00:00

Is there a street name or a house number you can give so you may be reached without hassle? While the use of street names and house numbers is not very common in Botswana, is it not time we moved with the rest of the world and had more efficient ways of locating places without using the big tree that is along the road? Wouldn't we save time if we were able to locate places without having to go around the whole ward, or block, pestering everyone we met for directions? In Botswana, most towns and villages do not have street names and house numbers, hence they are not in use. This situation probably derives from kgotla settings where families settled in the order of clans, making it easy to locate homesteads. There were not as many foreigners in the country who had to locate different places they needed to get to.  Allocation of land then was mainly done by chiefs and land overseers appointed by the chiefs.

But since urbanisation, and it has now become difficult to find people and places. Many, especially the young, have relocated to towns where they work.  There are also international migrations of people, which means there are many in Botswana who are not familiar with the use of the kgotla clan system and how it lends itself to locating homesteads.   Now the need to use street names and house numbers is very clear. Besides, urbanisation has brought with it lifestyle diseases and social ills, especially heart conditions and invasive crime, that often call for urgent medical and police attention. Use of street names and house numbers could save lives. At local government level, there seems to be disagreement between councils and land boards regarding who should attend to the issue. The Principal Land Surveyor at the Kweneng main land board in Molepolole, Keaboka Motlhagodi, says they are trying to allocate land systematically, using plot numbers. 'We do have plot numbers in planning areas, and we have been allocating them since the 1990s,' he says, adding that they provide plot numbers and encourage owners to put up their numbers.  'There is, however, no law to compel people to display their plot numbers.' Motlhagodi says. The problem is almost non-existent in Tlokweng, Botswana's smallest district. The Land Registration Officer of Tlokweng Land Board, Gabolete Magalagala, says they have already rectified the problem and allocated every house a plot number. 'All houses have a house number, though we cannot force people to display their house numbers,' he says. The system can also be used to detect land hoarders who own multiple plots. 'This helps us trace owners of plots that lie undeveloped for several years,' says Magalagala. 

The police have complained that they cannot do their job effectively because of dark alleys with no street names. Police spokesperson, Dipheko Motube, says there is a serious need for street names and house numbers to help in street patrols and to respond to emergency or distress calls. Motube says they have raised the issues with stakeholders, especially the government.