| |
|
HISTORY |
| |
|
Urban development began to take shape from 1897 as
a stopover at the junction of the Mafikeng to
Bulawayo railway and Kanye to Zeerust road. A
temporary boom in the local timber cutting
initially spurred these developments. The
establishment of the Lobatse block of farms and
the subsequent establishment of a Local Meat
Processing Industry in 1954, which later became
the Botswana Meat Commission, further boosted
local developments. A further significant increase
in the development of the town occurred during the
period immediately before independence (1966) as a
result of the relocation of offices from the
Protectorate Admission in Mafikeng. |
| |
|
Until the late 1940’s Lobatse
existed as two towns: Lobatse proper and the
township of Peleng. The former was very much the
reverse for the white community at Peleng. The
residential development that emerged after
independence was characterised by a pattern in
which high cost housing was located west of the
railway line and low cost housing and squatter
settlement to the east. |
| |
|
 |
|
|
|
DEVELOPMENT |
| |
|
Lobatse is centrally located along
the Maputo-Windhoek highway linking the east to
west. The route from Maputo to Windhoek passing
through Lobatse shortens the alternative route by
approximately 400 kilometres. |
|
Therefore completion of the
Trans-Kalahari Highway has put Lobatse on a
comparative advantage as a centre for the future
development. This conclusion is further
under-scored by the finding of a study entitled
Pre-feasibility study: Development of an export
oriented trans-shipping/industrial estate,
conducted by Urban-Econ for Botswana Development
Corporation (BDC), which identified Lobatse as the
optimal location for a development of
trans-shipping/industrial estate because of the
following locational factors: |
| |
|
| |
·
cost of labour |
| |
·
availability
and quality of telecommunications services |
| |
·
proximity to
large markets |
| |
·
availability
of skilled labour |
| |
·
proximity to
main road links |
| |
|
|
|
To this end, there are both
government and private sectors initiatives for
maximising advantages and minimising the adverse
effects accruing from completion of the highway:
thereby fostering achievement of the development
potential of Lobatse. |
|
These include some of the projects
that have been approved for the implementation
during the National Development Plan 8 (NDP 8) /
Lobatse Urban Development Plan 1 (LUDP1) plan
period; 1997-2003. |
| |
|
CONTACT US |
|
| |
|
|
Postal Add: |
Private Bag 28, Lobatse, Botswana |
| |
|
|
Tel: |
(+267) 533 0392 |
|
Fax: |
(+267) 533 2458 |
|
Email: |
lobtc@global.bw |
| |
|
|
