Motswaiso urges BHC tenants to buy houses
Bonte Seepi | Tuesday March 21, 2017 14:50
Speaking during the BHC Tenant Purchase Scheme (TPS) campaign activation here over the weekend, Motswaiso said it is vital for every individual to own a place of residence or accommodation as that on its own restores one’s dignity.
“We ought to stand up about the issue of shelter. BHC has made things easy for everyone through the TPS scheme as it allows tenants to purchase their leased BHC property through installments. Accommodation is the most important need as it will benefit even the coming generation.
“In the past, we used to grow up in our parents’ homes because a certain generation did not value the importance of having their own places, and we can’t blame them because there were also no schemes such as TPS,” he said.
Motswaiso said that a house on its own can be used as security, hence it can also be easy for one to borrow money from the banks.
He said today when one owns a house, it’s the same as having cattle, and even much better because livestock can be lost anytime due to theft or being attacked by diseases.
BHC property sales manager, Gaotlhaetse Baleseng explained that the scheme, which benefits only local citizens once, existed from 1986 to 2004. He said it was then stopped for a while due to some challenges.
Meanwhile, Baleseng said that after the realisation that some Batswana cannot afford to buy houses due to financial challenges, BHC re-introduced TPS to help those who can’t afford loans.
According to Baleseng, TPS allows clients to pay in installments that are determined from the price of a housing unit and the age of the tenant. He said the scheme allows Batswana to pay over a maximum period of 25 years.
Baleseng however decried that some Batswana especially in rural villages are still reluctant to purchase BHC houses saying that they currently have 42 unoccupied houses in Serowe.
He said the current scheme is different from that of the past as it has insurance. He also stated that though they mostly aim at BHC tenants, those who are not tenants can also be considered under certain circumstances.
However, Batswana were of the view that the scheme should be compulsory to make house ownership a reality in the country.
A youth Thabiso Modisagape said: ”Maybe BHC should make TPS compulsory to make it a habit for Batswana to own houses.
If only tenants are allowed to purchase, most of the beneficiaries will be elders because they are the ones who occupy the houses in high numbers. The youth will then be doomed.”
Some were of the view that the prices of the houses must be reduced considering the period that one has been renting the house.