Palapye is no village, its a town

ONALENNA MODIKWA
Staff Writer | Friday September 10, 2010 00:00

Since the award of a second university to Palapye there has been a lot of hype in the village’s infrastructural development and increased economic activities as a result of influx of job seekers and traders in the informal sector.

The village has also developed into a hospitality hub as evidenced by the mushrooming of lodges to meet the accommodation needs of tourists.

Currently, there is ongoing construction of two big lodges situated along the Palapye- Mahalapye road just opposite ‘Khurumela’. One is said to be a sister lodge to the Mogoditshane based Big Five Lodge, while the other belongs to a Palapye resident.

The currently available conference facilities are no longer able to accommodate national conferences. The mushrooming lodging facilities will help address the problem. Along Palapye-Serowe road the expansion of Morupule Colliery, the ongoing Morupule Phase B projects also promise to change the looks of the village once fully operational.

Palapye is also home to a multi-million Pula police station to be operational by 2011 and opposite the police station there is ongoing construction of a glass manufacturing complex.

These projects add to the many places of interest like the old railway station and an airstrip. All these present a great tourism potential for Palapye.  

Authorities here acknowledge and appreciate the economic tide.

Palapye Administrative Authority chairman, Councillor Onneetse Ramogapi, fears that the village status of Palapye might not market the second university well.

He stated during an interview that the village has developed overwhelmingly within a short space of time and it is bigger than other towns.

He noted that the expansion of Morupule Power Station, the construction of glass manufacturing firms, the police station, coal wash plant at Morupule Coal Mine are ongoing projects that prove beyond any doubt that Palapye has long surpassed village status.

The Department of Public Prosecution and Botswana Unified Revenue Services have opened branches in Palapye and Botswana Housing Corporation is continuing to build houses in Palapye to meet the overwhelming demand of accommodation as a result of the increasing population.

“All these huge projects are a challenge to us as leaders that we must stand up and advocate for the raising of Palapye to a town status,” Ramogapi said. He added that it is going to be an easy task to declare the village a town with the amended Local Authorities Act and the Township Act.

Ramogapi said he once tabled a motion in the Central District Council to the effect that Palapye be elevated to a town and said even public servants at some point put it before council.

He argues that once declared a town Palapye would relieve other villages and service delivery would be enhanced. “If Selebi-Phikwe was built because of BCL mine, why can’t we be declared a town because of Morupule Colliery?” he asks.

With its status of a village, Palapye accommodates the only coal mine in the country, a power station that is central to managing the whole country’s power crisis, as well as a fire station in the whole central district that stretches from Dibete to Makalamabedi.

Palapye Member of Parliament, Master Goya, also believes that it is high time his village stands on its own. “All parameters needed for a village to be declared a town are there. I even see Palapye surpassing the town status into a third city. It is the only place strategically placed to alleviate the already apparent congestion in Francistown and Gaborone cities”. Goya is also lobbying for a dual carriageway in the village.He noted that since they have been discussing the issue in the past, he is positive that the budget allowing, Palapye will be accorded the status it deserves.

He also argued that his village is also an ideal place to be an industrial hub for science and technology, research and agriculture studies through its ongoing projects both at the mine and the power station for the Botswana International University of Science and Technology.

Goya also stated that though he appreciates the mushrooming of lodges in the village, there is still not enough accommodation to meet the demand, indicating that they have experienced situations where all accommodation facilities were fully booked, to the extent that some visitors look for accommodation in neighbouring Serowe and Mahalapye.

“Any investor in the hospitality industry is free to come and put up a five star hotel here”.

The MP is yet to approach the Minister of Lands and Housing, Nonofo Molefhi, to consider reserving the area around the Martins Drift turn-off flyover for infrastructural development.

One thousand metres of land on both sides of the A1 road at the Martins Drift turn-off, especially on the western side, should be reserved for infrastructural development in terms of commercial activity, if things go according to the MPs wishes. He said this would give Palapye a major facelift. He wishes to see the street lights from that point into Palapye, from the BPC station and from the new police station into Palapye to show that Palapye generates power for the whole country.