The task force will be mandated to streamline the transaction process, ensure transparency, and protect the interests of both former mine employees and prospective buyers
BONGANI MALUNGA
The Botswana government is set to establish a dedicated task force to oversee and regulate the sale and purchase of BCL Mine residential properties, the Minister of Water and Human Settlement Onneetse Ramogapi has announced.
The task force will be mandated to streamline the transaction process, ensure transparency, and protect the interests of both former mine employees and prospective buyers.
Speaking at a consultation meeting with former BCL Mine employees in Selibe Phikwe last week, Ramogapi noted that government intervention has become necessary to prevent irregularities in the disposal of the properties and to provide clear guidelines that align with national housing and land management policies.
INCLUSIVE
According to the minister, the task force will include former BCL Mine employees and it is expected to begin its work once its terms of reference are finalized. The minister stated that the decision is a deliberate move to ensure that the former BCL Mine employees are a part of the decision making process.
“We are not here to impose a pre-agreed decision on you. We have urged former BCL Mine employees to consult with other stakeholders and form part of a task team that will be headed by the District Commissioner,” Ramogapi stated.
FORMER BCL MINE WORKERS PRIORITISED
“We have to ensure that the houses are sold to the rightful candidates. Former BCL Mine workers are given first preference and first priority in this exercise. We want to make sure that nobody will claim that they are not aware of the existence of a task team at the tail end of this exercise,” Ramogapi added.
The government handed over 1226 BCL houses in Selebi-Phikwe to former employees in October this year after purchasing the properties from the BCL liquidator for P300 million. The units have since been transferred to the Bonno Housing Scheme, where former BCL Mine workers are expected to benefit from discounted purchasing rates.
SPECIAL DISPENSATION
Ramogapi clarified that the ex-miners will receive a special dispensation under the initiative, with tailored guidelines that differ from the standard Bonno Housing Scheme framework. This, he said, is intended to recognize their long-standing service and the socio-economic impact of the mine’s closure on their livelihoods.