Kebonang promises manna to Lobatse
Tumelo Mouwane | Thursday April 13, 2017 14:18
Beginning Monday, Kebonang conducted several kgotla meetings to hear from his constituents. These are constituents who are of the view that Kebonang goes for too long without coming back to his constituency to hear from them. At his first kgotla meeting stop at Woodhall 1 ward, a resident quipped “they have been looking for him for quite long” but residents were humbled by several developments and updates that are said to be on the way.
If what the minister said is anything to go by, Lobatse will in the next five years become the economic hub of southern Botswana. According to Kebonang several major projects are just at the edge of setting up in the town.
Gaborone-Lobatse water carrier
Kebonang said Parliament has agreed to fund the Gaborone-Lobatse water pipe to a tune of P400 million. “The government through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has agreed to finance a water carrier pipe to the tune of P400m to avail water from Gaborone to Lobatse. We will see the project commencing this year because we have been waiting for finances. Lack of adequate water has been one of the reasons why some projects have been delayed like the Leather Park project that requires millions of litres of water,” he said.
Leather Park
On this project Kebonang reassured residents that the Leather Park is still coming to their town. “The Leather Park project is still coming to your town, some have been dismissing the project but it’s on the way. We don’t want to do a shoddy job. We are still engaging international technical partners,” he said.
Milk Afric project
“The Milk Afric project is on the way, last week the government funded Milk Afric to the tune of P48m for them to facilitate importation of the dairy cows. The cattle have been bought already,” he said.
Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA) destined for Lobatse
Kebonang said a newly informed energy regulatory institution, the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA) will commence its duties in Lobatse. “The institution will be located at the Geological Surveys offices and we are yet to appoint a board by April 18th. I can assure you that by May 1st the parastatal will have settled in Lobatse provided the board that I have appointed has agreed to the appointments. It will employ at least 44 people but that is something,” he said.
Construction of a multi million pula international standard mall
“We have been engaging in a project of a mall together with the council in Lobatse. A tender has been awarded and we are expecting construction to begin as soon as the contractors indicate that they are ready to begin. The mall will be a partnership between South African investors and some from Gaborone. The mall will be constructed by the bus rank area and there will be coexistence between those running the business around area and the mall,” Kebonang said.
Athlone Hospital major refurbishment
Kebonang said the Athlone Hospital will also be completely refurbished. A month ago, Boswelatlou ward councillor Themba Stimela said the 300-bed facility will be upgraded to a modern hospital to the tune of P400m.
Construction of four-lane highway between Gaborone and Lobatse
The minister said the Government had agreed to construct four-way highway between Gaborone and Lobatse. “Construction of the road will be done in phases, the first phase will be from Gaborone to Boatle and this will make Lobatse Gaborone trip a 30 minutes drive and decrease the current congestion. This will develop the economy of our town,” he said.