26 Feb 2025

As a peri-urban area next to Gaborone with a population of 55 000, the economic potential of Tlokweng should be fully utilised, area Member of Parliament (MP) Mr Phenyo Segokgo has told the National Assembly.

Listing small towns close to major urban metropolis such as Cranbourne next to Melbourne, Australia, Mukono close to Kampala and Uganda, Lekki near Lagos, Nigeria among others, he said internationally peri-urban centres were able to grow exponentially and relieved the larger city. 

He said prior to independence Batlokwa made sacrifice of ceding their land for the development of the capital Gaborone and should also benefit in turn.

Mr Segokgo revealed that in 2020, Batlokwa Paramount Chief, Kgosi Puso had gathered stakeholders to develop a long term strategy for Tlokweng’s development and urged government to partner with the community to bring the vision to fruition.

Noting that Tlokweng was adversely affected by the recent flood, he called for a better storm water drainage system and the development of small catchment dams to harvest the water for livestock watering and irrigation farming.

He also said opening up the base of the Notwane River that delineates the boundary between Gaborone and Tlokweng and the construction of riverside leisure, hospitality and sporting resorts along its river banks would boost economic activity.

Mr Segokgo said the Mafitlhakgosi Clinic was overwhelmed since it closes at 4.30pm daily leaving residents in need of medical assistance outside office hours. He also said the condition of school facilities in Tlokweng; classroom infrastructure in some schools were in dilapidated state.

Mr Segokgo said the introduction of toll gates should be implemented as a matter of urgency, to help in the maintenance of roads, including those overwhelmed by heavy trucks that enter the country from South Africa through Tlokweng border gate.

Furthermore, he said the creation of a dry port in Tlokweng, which he said would entail making the Tlokweng border gate a 24-hour facility, creating a facility where goods could be stored and a parking facility for trucks before they carry forward their trade routes. 

He said Tlokweng’s internal road network had been affected by the recent flood and called for their maintenance.

Making his contribution to the budget debate on the same day, Gamalete MP, Mr Boniface Mabeo called for the empowerment of the Directorate on Economic Crime and Corruption to be an independent and effective body that would assist the country reduce economic wastage.

Mr Mabeo said both the governing Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and official opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP) had long called for the independence of oversight institutions such as the DCEC and this needs to be speedily implemented.

Mr Mabeo said the process of registering companies was cumbersome and said he hoped the government would speedily change the regulatory framework to cut the bureaucratic red tape and improve the ease of doing business.

He said there was a need for an industrial hub to be created in the Gamalete constituency since he said the community, constituency political leadership, council and tribal administration were committed and land was also available.

Mr Mabeo said villages like Ramotswa and Mogobane have the capacity to host factories that could utilise the country’s raw materials for value adding manufacturing activity that would generate jobs and improve the country’s revenue streams.

Additionally, he called for the development of the road linking Mothubakwane, Ramotswa to Otse to offer an alternative route to the southern A1 Road that runs from Gaborone to Lobatse.

Mr Mabeo said some schools in the constituency including Mogobane Junior Secondary School and Baitlotli JSS in Ramotswa were in a poor state and required better infrastructure and the timely supply of textbooks.

He further said his constituency had an abundance of talented people in the creative industry who would benefit from the Mass Media Complex being developed into a hub focused on the promotion of the talents of scriptwriters, videographers, producers, actors, creative writers and other artistic people. ENDS