Water crisis: Move capital to Palapye?
Friday, February 27, 2015
“Relocate the country’s capital to Palapye because it has good supply of water,” screams a recent post on the wall of a Facebook account of Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, the fiery trade unionist.
“I feel that there is good supply of water in the northern part of the country, which will be cheaper to utilise for development in Palapye and its hinterland than carrying it down south,” reasoned the deputy secretary general of Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU), strengthening his arguments for designating the village as the administrative capital of Botswana.
Despite the residents’ relentless struggle and enduring fears, government has yet to provide a clear and comprehensive solution to this alarming issue. For decades, the villagers have lived under the shadow of these ominous cracks, fearing the possibility of the earth swallowing them whole. This fear is not unfounded, as the damage extends beyond psychological distress to homes, fields, and ultimately, the livelihoods of the community. The...