Tlokweng scramble is a result of poor planning

| Friday June 15, 2012 00:00

The south-eastern region of the country carries the greatest weight of the population. This is understandable because it has been the most ecologically endowed region with comparatively good rainfall, soils, a well-developed physical infrastructure and socio-economic facilities. To a lesser degree, in the far northern parts, Francistown and the peri-urban centres of Serowe, Palapye and Mahalapye provide a relatively similar degree of development, giving the eastern belt a marked distinction from the rest of the country.

But it is the south-east region that hosts large commercial enterprises and nation-serving industries. The region includes the urban villages of Molepolole (Africa's largest traditional village), Kanye, Mochudi, Ramotswa, Moshupa and Thamaga in which there is intermediate level commerce, administration, socio-economic services and labour-intensive projects.  From the south-east region, we decline to what planners refer to as the country's downward traditional areas that are characterised by deteriorating natural resource base, absolute poverty, the highest mortality rates and least life expectancy. This is where we find the so-called Rural Area Dwellers who merit aggressive affirmative action in every respect.  Planners have pointed to these as carrying the hope of playing a critical role in reversing the polarisation between the east/south-east region(s) of Botswana and the rest of the country, and thus relieve Greater Gaborone of its extremely high population density.

The tribal areas of Tlokweng and Mogoditshane have come to bear the greatest brunt of this burden, while Ramotswa and Mochudi are increasingly heaving under the weight of internal migrants from other parts of the country. But the growing influx of a high youthful component of the population into Gaborone will not abate until there is something to attract this demographic elsewhere. In an increasing hostile environment that closes out citizens, it brings with it the restlessness of youth and the frustration of joblessness.

The reality is that we are a young population in which 55 percent are between the ages of 15 to 64, 41 percent are 15 or less, while only 4 percent are above the age of 64 (2000).  Our birth rate is 29.63 people per 1,000 while the death rate is 22.08 people per 1,000.  But even though these figures must have been revised in the 2011 census because of the onslaught of HIV/AIDS and the effects of family planning, the youth component of our population is likely to remain the largest.

Nonetheless, we are a distinctly small population when viewed from a global perspective. Preliminary figures from the 2011 census put our population at 2,o24,787 people in a land area of 600,370 square kilometres. Even with the tired excuse that it is a matter of serviced plots, this begs the question of where has all the land gone?

                                             Today's thought

'Each blade of grass has its spot on earth whence it draws its life, its strength; and so is man rooted to the land from which he draws his faith  together with his life.'

                                        - Joseph Conrad