05 May 2024

The Mayor of Francistown, Mr Godisang Radisigo has called for an increased council budget for Botswana’s second city.

Addressing a press conference to update the media on the end of the financial year and various government projects in the city, Mr Radisigo called for a significant increase in the city’s budget, arguing that as the second largest city in the country, Francistown served not only its own residents but also a considerable number of people from the surrounding areas.

He said the population of Francistown and surrounding areas had put a significant strain on the city’s infrastructure and services.

“We must ensure that our budget reflects this reality and that we receive the necessary resources to provide our citizens with the quality of life they deserve,” he added.

Mr Radisigo pointed out that Francistown’s role as the service centre for the northern part of Botswana added to the city’s need for a larger budget.

“With villages spread out across vast distances, many people rely on the city for essential services such as healthcare, education, and commerce. We must not overlook the fact that Francistown is a critical hub for thousands of people who depend on our services,’ he stated.

On other issues, Mr Radisigo informed the media that Tati River would rehabilitated by the Ward Development Committees, which had been funded by the National Environmental Fund to implement a Tati River Revitalisation initiative of  removing weeds in the water channel.

He explained that 40 people would be engaged in the project for an initial three months’ period. He explained that the weeds from the river would be added value and packaged into animal feed as a response to government’s value chain development call.

“In addition, an amount of P659 223.77 has been availed under the same fund for landscaping of the Blue Jacket Street. It entails planting of trees from the BMC traffic lights to Dumela and hard landscaping of the interchange grounds,” he said.

Mr Radisigo said the project would also commence this month  and will run for a period of 10 months, employing a total number of 17 people.

The mayor also informed the press of the upgrading of the Francistown-Nata road, which entails a dual carriage way from Francistown to Mathangwane.

He said after its completion, the road was expected to facilitate trade and connectivity, higher efficiency and road safety.

“The project is currently at the preliminary design stage and it is also implemented through the Development Manager model,” he added.

Further, Mr Radisigo said another similar project to be undertaken in the next financial is the construction of Aerodrome link road and Phase IV Industrial Infrastructure project.

He explained that the project would ease traffic flow between Gerald and the city centre as well as facilitate development of the industrial area.

“The consultant is currently on site conducting the Environmental Management Plan, which shall be followed by tendering for construction,” he said.

For his part, the Town Clerk of Francistown City Council, Mr Stephan Motlogelwa, revealed the city’s plans to drill boreholes around Francistown to support the redevelopment of the city’s parks. This move aims to address the current poor state of the public spaces.

“Our parks have suffered from neglect and a lack of resources, and we are determined to revitalise them for the enjoyment of our residents,’ Mr Motlogelwa said.  Mr Motlogelwa highlighted the importance of green spaces in defining urban landscapes and lamented the current state of parks in Francistown.

“Green spaces are essential to creating a vibrant and a livable city but unfortunately, our parks in Francistown do not currently reflect that vision. With this initiative, we hope to reclaim these spaces and transform them into thriving hubs of community life,” he said.

Mr Motlogelwa emphasised that the city council’s primary responsibility was to provide essential services to its residents.

He added that this required continuous evaluation and planning to address the challenges faced by the city.

“As a city, we have been entrusted with the responsibility to serve the people. But this cannot be done without reflecting on our past, recognising our accomplishments, acknowledging our challenges, and charting a course for the future,” said Mr Motlogelwa. ENDS