A tale of two towns: Phikwe and Lobatse fight to live

Selebi-Phikwe teetered on the brink of ghost-town status in the period after the 2016 closure of BCL Mine, the economic giant that supported more than 5,000 jobs and the downstream industry that kept the north-eastern town alive. Nearly 480 kilometres away, Lobatse has battled to avoid a similar fate as frequent disease outbreaks have hampered the optimal operation of the Botswana Meat Commission. Lobatse Clay Works, another major employer which at one point produced 30 million bricks every year helping to erect most of the country’s buildings, equally has been staring death in the face, being on care and maintenance from 2018 awaiting additional capital injection.

However, recent developments in both towns have their leaders more optimistic about the future and also provide hope to the country’s broader ambitions to transform its economy and create resilience.