Govt urged to revise ‘ outdated’ Housing Policy
Government and the Botswana Housing Commission ( BHC) have been accused of failing to house the nation, and have been urged to revise the Housing Policy of 2000, which has been described as “outdated” and doesn’t reflect the current times and housing needs of Batswana.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee ( PAC) Dithapelo Keorapetse recently accused the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development of failing to devise a concrete plan to provide affordable housing for Batswana, since the establishment of the BHC, which has been mandated to meet the accommodation needs of Batswana.
Keorapetse said that, “BHC targets indicate that it has deviated from its mandate of provision of accommodation needs of Batswana, and was now in the business of selling houses to make profits, which is against the Housing Act of Parliament.” During the deliberations, accounting officer in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development, Thuso Ramodimoosi, reiterated Keorapetse’s concerns, noting that the issues had been brought up before and the ministry is aware of them, and that is why the Housing Act of 2000 was due for review in Parliament. “There could be stipulations that are not coherent with the current times and should be looked into because there are many Batswana who continue to lack accommodation and have no access to affordable housing or resources to build themselves houses.”
To date, many Batswana are faced with an accommodation and plot shortage crisis, that has had negative far- reaching consequences on the socio- economic landscape. Possible revision of the Housing Policy of 2000 is one of the issues expected to be presented before Parliament in the winter session, which started this week.
An inside source who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said investigations should be carried out and conclusions of findings must establish if it has deviated from its sole mandate. “If BHC is executing against the ordered mandate, then why should a review be tabled, instead of ensuring that it aligns with its mandate? BHC owes Batswana an explanation over its sales, pricing and costing and whether it has reached its targets over the past few years. If at all Government is failing to create an environment which enables BHC to deliver as a shareholder through provision of funding, then Batswana should also be made aware of this, and be told what the problem could be. All affected stakeholders should be engaged on this matter across the value chain so that the challenges are addressed adequately if there are any.”
The Housing Policy of 2000 was approved by the National Assembly on 17 December 1999. BHC was established through an Act of Parliament order No. 75 of 1970 under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development, with the mandate to provide housing, office and other building needs of Government and local authorities, provide for, assist and to make arrangements for other persons to meet the above- mentioned requirements, and to also undertake and carry out and make arrangements for other persons to undertake and carry out building schemes in Botswana.