Presenting a motion in Parliament last week, Modubule said Lobatse, the oldest town in the country, is gradually descending into a ghost town.He said given its historical significance to the country, it should now be one of the fastest growing towns in Botswana. The MP said with the waning economic activities in Lobatse, people are leaving the town for other areas. "Everyone seems to be in a hurry to leave Bandleng," he said. He said the 2001 population census pegged Lobatse's population at 29.689 while in 2011 it was 29.007. He said the 2001 Population and Housing Census indicate that the majority of people, 63 percent were unemployed and the number is likely to have tremendously increased by now.He argued that the decrease in population could be attributed to the town's declining economy.He noted that the economy of Lobatse faces stagnation and the private sector has failed to take the lead in line with the NDP 8 theme of Sustainable Economic Diversification.
"Industries are either closing down or relocating to other towns such as Gaborone as was the case with Ben Rose Industries which closed down and Lobatse Tile Limited, a company that used to employ up to 210 people. Lobatse Clay Works has its own challenges while the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) has significantly retrenched its staff. With the current state of affairs at BMC, the future further looks uncertain for its staff. With the High Court relocated to Gaborone and the closure of the Lobatse College of Education, the town faces extinction as these are the major employers in town," he said.He said Lobatse's proximity to other primary centres, especially Gaborone, means that it faces strong competition for private investment necessary for stimulation of local economic development and creation of employment opportunities. "Due to its dependence on beef production, it should be declared an industrial town to achieve economic growth and sustainable employment. Tourism and manufacturing can be used to diversify the economy. This can be strengthened by investment promotion capacity through introduction of programmes similar to the Selebi Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit," the MP said.
