Gaborone Parks In Shameful State

| Monday February 1, 2010 00:00

In Gaborone, the nation's capital city, for example, there is literally nothing. Is this not a disgrace?

There are a number of parks in the city, but they have since turned into havens for criminals. To all intents and purposes, parks are set up as places for people to visit and unwind. The most popular park in Gaborone is the Tsholofelo Park in Broadhurst. But it is utterly neglected. The only time that someone sees the need to clean it is when it has been booked for events like weddings. But is this what is supposed to happen? That is why in the past it became the home of the dreaded raselepe. As a result, people got scared and stopped visiting the place. There is another park in Extension 12 which, like many others around the city, looks abandoned.

It is incredible that the Gaborone City Council (GCC) sees nothing wrong in these places being in such a sorry state of disrepair. A call to the City Council elicited a casual response that the Parks Division is responsible for leasing out the facilities for public use.

So without events, these places should be left to rot? Doesn't the City Council realise the fact that a lot of ratepayers' money was spent on putting these facilities up? Given the fact that very soon tourists from all over the world will be coming to Southern Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Gaborone City Council should surely be at the forefront of keeping Gaborone green and clean.

However, our concern is not only directed at the GCC but at others, including government departments that have the same facilities. Government loses a lot of revenue because its property is going to waste.

If councils are unable to service these facilities, they should lease them out to the private sector who will maximise their usage. A city like Gaborone must have alternative places for people who would not want to go to bars and nightclubs for their leisure.