Author: Daily News

North West District is developing a five year (2026-20230) Local Economic Development (LED) strategy to give the local economy a clear vision and direction.
The LED approach guide government, businesses and the community to work together to boost local economy, reduce poverty, create responsible employment opportunities and improve livelihoods by leveraging local resources and skills through strategic planning, infrastructure investment and support small, medium entrepreneurs.
Addressing a full council meeting, Council Chairman, Mr Itumeleng Kelebetseng said LED would not solely be driven by government, urging full participation of all other stakeholders. He said investment and leadership were at the pinnacle of a successful LED strategy.
Mr Kelebetseng said the economic development of the district was dependent on a strong partnership between government, private enterprises and the community.
“Our district is a region of diverse economic potentials, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, crafts, small scale trade among others and through strong collaboration, consistent participation, open dialogue and joint action, we will drive innovation and competitiveness. We will create an attractive destination for investment to mention but a few,” he added.
He called on fellow political leaders and other stakeholders to share the journey which was focused on improving the overall wellbeing of the community through better services and a more vibrant local economy.
Mr Kelebetseng also highlighted that efforts to establish meaningful international relations were progressing well citing that recently, he hosted the Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Botswana, who expressed commitment to deepening cooperation in tourism and cultural exchange.
“After my return visit to the Embassy, I am pleased to report that there are promising prospects for the council to benefit from training seminars that will support our human capital development,” he said.
He said the recent launch of the use of drones in delivering medicines to health facilities was a transformative step in the health-care delivery system by ensuring that essential medical supplies reach communities swiftly and efficiently.
On other issues, Mr Kelebetseng noted that community consultations on the proposal of upgrading Maun into a Green City have been completed in November.
He said the task team was currently working on the compilation of the district position paper covering comments and ideas from different stakeholders.
Mr Kelebetseng also reported that the district was currently experiencing illegal developments particularly in larger villages such as Maun and Sehithwa.
He added that the situation was also common within in the Okavango Delta area, entailing commercial developments especially tourism related accommodation facilities.
“Our communities should be aware that the entire district is a planning area and therefore the process of development has to be followed to the latter. As the council we continue to strengthen our enforcement processes to safeguard the community against these illegal developments,” added Mr Kelebetseng. 

Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU) president, Mr Joseph Tsimako has called for the mining industry to realign its goals and practices with industrial relations standards.
Mr Tsimako was speaking during the BMWU General Council and Business Insights seminar held in Selebi-Phikwe recently.
He said there was  a need for the mining industry to realign its goals and practices to navigate towards the ‘True North’ strategic vision.
Furthermore, he expressed the need for a collaborative, cordial, and transparent relationship between mining stakeholders, aiming for a sustainable and equitable future for the sector.
“The idea of the summit was born from the realisation that the mining industry in the context of industrial relations was yet to find its ‘True North’. This follows a month of engagements between the union, business partners, and other relevant stakeholders,” said Mr Tsimako.
He spoke of the need for solidarity among mining stakeholders in pursuit of common objectives of navigating towards the ‘True North’.
In addition, he encouraged open dialogue and sustainable partnerships, and an environment where every voice was heard and valued.
Touching on mining industry challenges, Mr Tsimako said such includes a wide gap between employers and employees characterised by trade disputes, non-recognition of the union along the mining supply chain, poor mining operational standards, as well as marginalisation of the union in key policy and mineral development processes, hence the need for collaborative measures.
Moreover, he mentioned the evolving mining landscape, which he said called for the advent of technology in the workplace, innovative ways to conduct activities, citing the shift from a fossil fuel-driven economy to a green one.
The purpose of the BMWU General Council and Business Insights seminar, Mr Tsimako noted was to discuss the future of mining in Botswana, the future of employment in the mining sector, as well as emerging challenges in the evolving mining landscape.
The seminar was also set to encourage transition towards digitalised and technology-driven operations, dialogue about labour-employee cooperation for a sustainable and equitable mining industry.
Senior Employees Relations Manager at Debswana, Mr Tebatso Hule, emphasised the need for the mining industry to embrace cutting-edge technology to drive innovation and enhance operational efficiency.
He explained that integrating advanced technologies could significantly improve productivity and safety standards within the sector.
Furthermore, Mr Hule emphasised the critical role of trade unions, asserting that they must prioritise transparency and accountability in their operations.
He said such a move would accord unions an opportunity to effectively represent and advocate for the interests of their members, ensuring that workers’ voices  were heard and their needs met. 

There is need to transform government systems to circumvent bureaucracies and ensure the swift and seamless implementation of Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) projects, Lobatse Botoka ward Councillor, Mr Onneetse Kagiso, has said.

In an interview on sidelines of the Lobatse Full Council sitting on December 1, Mr Kagiso noted that Lobatse had benefited from four key BETP projects envisioned to stimulate economic growth.

He highlighted the need for local authorities to ensure decisive and apt facilitation of investors, especially during the construction of the Lobatse Meat and Leather City Special Economic Zone (SEZ), designated by the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA).

Mr Kagiso added that to revitalise the local economy, there was a need to do away with long processes and too much paperwork to be able to attract and retain more investors.
“Let us automate our systems. Let us have a one-stop shop. We need to revise our pieces of legislation, relax them a bit. We need to be intentional in our undertaking and have more action,” he said.

He added that the priority projects, which included the Lobatse Meat and Leather City SEZ, the Milk Valley Farm expansion, the establishment of a primary slaughter facility and the leather and footwear tannery and manufacturing initiative, would create much-needed mass employment opportunities. He called for the alignment of the vocational education system to provide market-ready skills.

Mr Kagiso urged the realignment of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training system, saying “Lobatse has been declared a meat and leather industry area; therefore, we must align our vocational education to this. Let us introduce courses that deal with leather processing and production of quality leather products, for we need these fine skills locally to be able to compete globally.”

Earlier in his speech, Lobatse Town Mayor Mr Aron Ganakgomo told the council meeting that the Meat and Leather City SEZ project, driven by SEZA in collaboration with local authorities, had already courted investors.

“SEZA has reported that they have already received interest from several investors. However, the current delay in moving forward has been due to funding for any development that would attract investors to the zone,” Mr Ganakgomo said.

Councillors heard that negotiations were underway between SEZA and an International SEZ developer who had studied Lobatse to determine the feasibility of partnering with SEZA to develop the SEZ.

They also heard that the developer had submitted a report which SEZA was currently analysing with different stakeholders to close identified gaps.

Mr Ganakgomo also told councillors that SEZA worked with potential developers who had shown interest in partnering to develop the city by bringing their own funding and network of investors.
Additionally, he said SEZA was in negotiations with the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) to ascertain if Phase 1 of the zone could start on the land already serviced next to the BMC tannery, currently undergoing revitalisation.

This, the meayor said, would enable investors who wish to process wet blue leather from the BMC tannery into finished leather goods to immediately set up in close proximity to their main input to allow them to manufacture effectively for the export market.

Regarding other projects, Mr Ganakgomo indicated that the Milk Valley Farm would procure 1 000 pregnant heifers from Brazil. Ahead of the delivery, he said the farm would undertake critical preparatory works, including the construction of additional cow housing and supporting infrastructure, as well as land development to expand fodder production.

Lobatse Thema/Motswedi ward councillor, Mr Velem Heii, said the BETP projects approved for Lobatse were critical for job creation and revitalising the local economy, which was primarily sustained by the BMC. Cllr Heii added that the informal sector also stood to benefit.

Again, he said the ongoing revitalisation of the BMC tannery plant and the construction of the BMC Meat value-addition and secondary processing plant to replace the old ECCO Cannery (built in 1978) would enhance BMC’s business model.

“This will help the state-owned enterprise achieve vertical integration and draw a return-on-investment, thus turning BMC into a sustainable entity,” he said.
Nominated councillor, Mr Gofaone Kedise was of the view that there was sluggish implementation of the SEZ which needed to be fast-tracked.

Cllr Kedise said the land for the Meat and Leather City SEZ was identified about 10 years ago and therefore it was time to act. “We have since been declared an SEZ. We need to be agile in our implementation,” he said.

Cllr Kedise further indicated that it was pertinent to draw up an aggressive marketing strategy to sell the SEZ. He argued that the time was nigh to begin to brand Lobatse as a Meat and Leather City and sell it to investors, fully packaged, at exhibitions on the world stage. “Let us spread our wings even beyond borders to market our SEZ,” he said.

Gaborone City Council has intensified its crackdown on illegal operations as city leadership reiterates growing frustration over non-compliance with municipal and national laws.

The Mayor, Mr Oarabile Motlaleng, told the full council meeting on Monday that illegal trading, unlicensed manufacturing, and breaches of public health and child-care regulations were among the most persistent challenges facing the city.

He reported that 13 non-citizens were charged for violating the council’s hawking and street-vending bye-laws, saying these demonstrated the municipality’s firm stance on regulating informal trade within its jurisdiction.

In a separate enforcement action, seven individuals were charged for operating manufacturing businesses without an industrial licence, in violation of Section 6 of the Industrial Development Act.

Food safety inspections also revealed 19 cases involving unhygienic preparation and handling of food, which he described as a serious public health concern. 

Mr Motlaleng stressed that traders and food handlers must prioritise cleanliness and strict adherence to hygiene principles, adding that council teams would continue to educate both vendors and consumers on safety standards.

He said they would continue to sensitise the public and build a culture of vigilance and compliance, adding that responsible trading protected the community and strengthened the environment.

Child-care services were not spared from scrutiny, as eight day-care centres were charged for operating contrary to Section 97 (1) of the Children’s Act, which governs registration and conduct of child-care facilities. The Mayor emphasised that adherence to the Act was non-negotiable to safeguard children’s welfare.

Speaking broadly to the business sector, Mr Motlaleng urged continued legal compliance, warning that failure to meet regulatory obligations compromised public well-being.

“We urge the business community to consistently adhere to the provisions of the law to ensure compliance and contribute positively to the environment in which we operate. Upholding these regulations not only promotes responsible business practices but also safeguards the health and well-being of our community,” he said.

The council also registered eight cases of urinating in public, an offence under the Sanitation and Public Health Bye-laws. 

These incidents, he noted, pointed to declining public hygiene discipline and the need for renewed awareness campaigns.