Africa-Press – Botswana. Minister of Water and Human Settlement toured Bonno National Housing Programme site in Mahalapye West at Mowana ward where 1 000 houses would be constructed.
The minister appreciated the lay-out plan for the project. Prior to the tour, the minister addressed a kgotla meeting in Mahalapye where he briefed residents about Bonno National Housing Programme.
He said adequate housing was essential for other fundamental human rights such as health, education and work, while providing security of tenure and allowing living in dignity.
Minister Ramogapi said housing was not just a human right but a basic right.
On the importance of housing, the minister said government was on a mission to build 100 000 affordable houses over a period of two years through Bonno National Housing Programme.
However, he said government pledged to deliver the promised mandate in a period of five years in its manifesto 2024 that focused on education, housing, and healthcare reforms, but as time rolled over were of the view that they had to deliver the promised mandate without delay or timely.
Minister Ramogapi said the initiative to come up with the housing threshold was crafted from United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 11 that aimed to ensure access to adequate, safe and affordable housing, while ensuring individuals including vulnerable populations have access to housing that met basic standards of safety, privacy and habitability along with essential services like water and sanitation.
He said it was government’s wish to turnaround the economy and therefore emphasised the need for every Motswana to partake on the move.
Minister Ramogapi said the ministry was committed to deliver 100 000 housing units within the set target, thus expressed courage and inner strength that failure was impossible.
“The perception that the target of 100 000 houses was unattainable was not the ministry’s believe and was non-existent,” he said. He said the project created employment opportunities for Batswana and turns the economy around.
“The Bonno National Housing Programme consists of five key schemes; the Bonno Home Loan Improvement Scheme, the Bonno D4 Equivalent and Below scheme, the Rent to Buy scheme, District and Institutional Housing, and the Bonno Turn Key housing scheme,” he said.
Unpacking the scheme that aimed to provide affordable housing options to citizens across various income brackets and needs, he said Bonno Home Loan Improvement Scheme targeted individuals within income range of P4 400 to P95 000 and focused also on assisting with improvements to existing homes.
As for Bonno D4 Equivalent and Below, he said the scheme was designed for those earning between P95,001 and P282,120 annually, targeting individuals in the D4 salary scale and below.
As for Rent to Buy Scheme; a collaboration with Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) and private developers he said allowed tenants to eventually own their homes through a rent-to-buy arrangement while District and Institutional Housing component addresses housing needs in specific districts and for institutional purposes, with ongoing efforts to explore ownership opportunities for individuals in these sectors.
Additionally, he said Bonno Turn Key Housing Scheme targeted those earning between P4 400 and P95 000, providing a comprehensive package for building new homes. He said Batswana aged 18 years and above were eligible for Bonno housing programme that aimed to address housing shortage and provide access to affordable and decent housing for a wide range of citizens.
On other issues, he said the ministry was considering the extension of Water Utilities Corporation’s debt amnesty campaign that sought to address the high level of domestic water arrears, which had reached P833 million given the pouring scores of people at the eleventh hour.
The campaign offers a 50 per cent discount on eligible debts for accounts overdue by more than 90 days, requiring customers to pay half their outstanding amount and settle the remainder over three months.
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