10 Dec 2024

Progress achieved under Lobatse Special Economic Zone (SEZ) since its establishment entails developments as identification of a site that measures 369ha and gazzettement of the Lobatse SEZ by Minister of Trade and Industry on June 11, 2021, Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Mr Tiroeaone Ntsima informed Parliament on Monday.

Other developments he said included approval of the Lobatse Master Plan in October 2021 which entailed a business case, urban and Landscape designs as well as strategic environmental assessment.

The minister explained that the approval of Phase I detailed layout plan which measured about 100 hectares and its cadastral survey in October 2021.

Further, he said fencing of the 34ha plot for the leather park site was completed May this year and the contracting companies handed over the site to the project manager who was currently working on closure of the project’s fencing component.

Due to budgetary constraints, Minister Ntsima explained that development of all the eight SEZs could not be carried out at the same time hence the full development of the first phase of Lobatse SEZ measuring 100ha was expected to be undertaken during National Development Plan (NDP) 12.

The plan is still being prepared and is expected to be approved by Parliament in the last quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year, Mr Ntsima said.

He explained to the House that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) Policy was approved by Parliament in 2011 and that was followed by a feasibility study in 2013, to map the establishment of SEZs countrywide.

He said the study led to the identification of eight locations nationally with their respective SEZ functions, and from that number, Lobatse was identified for meat, leather and milk beneficiation including bio-technology and biogas production.

Minister Ntsima added that the SEZ Act No.13 of 2015 was approved in 2015 and it lead to the establishment of the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA) which became operational in 2018 and its mandated being to establish, develop and regulate all SEZs nationally.

Lobatse MP, Mr Kamal Jacobs had asked the minister when the adopted 2013 parliamentary motion that requested for Lobatse to be designated a Special Economic Zone as a way of reviving its economy would be implemented. ENDS