Towards the end of last year, police had to be called in to control a crowd of plot seekers who almost caused chaos outside the Tlokweng Land Board offices after less than 300 plots were made available for the public to apply for in the tribal area.
The question most people ask is, what really contributes to the massive shortage of land in and around the city? Will the city be able to hold the ever-increasing population in years to come? Is there a possibility of expanding the city? Inquiries by The Monitor last week at the Gaborone City Council physical planning department revealed that the major contributor to land shortage in the city is population growth. Originally, the city was planned to safely accommodate 20,000 people in what was then known as 'The Garden City' concept.
This population was projected for 1990, but it surpassed the mark in the late 70's, meaning the projection was far from being accurate. Statistics from the 2001 population census show that the Gaborone population was at 186,007.
Another factor that was identified as leading to land shortage was investment. It is said there has been an increased demand in the use of land for business purposes, especially in the past decade.
