Council given month to finalise Tlokweng Revised Plan

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday March 9, 2018 22:34

Mmegi has learnt that the plan has been under discussion for two years and councillors felt that it was time for some of the projects in that plan to be implemented.

Population growth in Tlokweng over the past three decades have been on the upsurge and at a very fast rate, growing from 12,500 in 1991 to 36,323 in 2011.

They want the draft to be final as it is becoming expensive for council to engage a contractor again to keep on changing some of the things in the draft. The planning area has a spatial area coverage of 28,389 hectares, of which 3,356 hectares constitute the village built-up area.

Overspill of Gaborone’s population into Tlokweng and migrants from other parts of the country has resulted in increased pressure on land in the planning area, as evidenced by the high numbers of applications for land allocations. The revised plan seeks to address urbanisation pressures, which manifested in increased crime rates and increased demands for urban level services and facilities.

The plan wants to meet present and future land needs, rationalise zone land for various use categories in the planning area, to create a well-planned and spatially balanced built environment for Tlokweng with a distinctive image and character, to provide a safe, functional and convenient circulation system in the planning area, to provide improved services, enable economic growth and development.

The Draft Revised Plan reads in part: “In the past, the Land Board performed land administration functions in a haphazard manner and without proper record keeping. This resulted in very high numbers of applications, such that the Land Board is unable to timeously reach decisions on applications. Consequently, there were about 4,800 backlog applications on the publicised waiting list”.

It says many of the allocated plots in the new layout areas have remained largely undeveloped due to lack of adequate infrastructure services while Land Board is faced with challenge of skilled manpower constraints such as land surveys and physical planners, for its land allocation functions.

The report also shows that Tlokweng’s economic base is relatively weak, with limited employment opportunities, and limited industrial activities. The agricultural sector is weak, with subsistence agricultural being a major economic activity of most residents.

It says Tlokweng lacks a senior secondary school, even though its population warrants such. The report states among others, shortage of health personnel in existing health facilities resulting in overstretched available personnel and having no primary hospital in Tlokweng when in fact it qualifies for one. It says with only one post office in Tlokweng, it is considered inadequate to serve the population.