District Intergrated Land Use Plan - Ngwaketse Land Board

CHAPTER 2
ADMINISTRATIVE AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
the impending environmental impact assessment legislation (expected to be enacted), it
would be mandatory for the environmental impacts of all activities to be mitigated through
an environmental management plan for each activity that would be approved for
implementation be it a policy, a plan, a programme or a project either initiated by the Local
Authorities or non-governmental organisations, Community based organisations and Civil
Society, the Community and Private Sector Developers.
2.7 IMPACT OF RELEVANT PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS ON THE
DISTRICT’S ECONOMY, LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
2.7.1 The review of the achievements of the immediate past District Development Plan 5 period
indicates that prioritised programmes and projects were either not completed or
implemented at the expected rate, and hence did impact negatively on the District’s
economy, land use and the natural resource base. Some of the major programmes and
projects, which impacted on the District economy are as highlighted.
2.7.2 Physical Infrastructure: Roads: In the Southern District, road transport is a vital and
necessary infrastructure to meet the basic need of mobility and a necessary condition to
promote the District’s economic development. The target of the past 5th Development Plan
period was to provide reliable access to communities and to areas with economic potential
and supporting decentralisation of services by improving or upgrading the external road
network and strengthening the implementation capacity for development and maintenance
of roads. In terms of accessibility 62 out of 83 villages (with Primary Schools) could be
accessed by tarred or gravelled road. The re-construction of the Jwaneng – Sekoma road
(part of the Trans-Kalahari Road), the Lobatse – Kanye By-pass and the fencing of the
Kanye – Ramatlabama road, and the Mogobane – Ranaka road that were planned for
completion during the past plan period have spilled into the current plan period. This major
road infrastructure would boost the District’s economy in terms of facilitating the movement
of people, goods and services within and through the District. Whilst the District has made
tremendous efforts in making linkages between villages possible by either gravel or graded
roads, the maintenance of the infrastructure lacks manpower as well as the financial
resources and limited equipment.
2.7.3 Telecommunication: The on-going telecommunication network project in the Barolong areas
including Ngwaketse West is expected to also impact positively on the District’s economy.
2.7.4 Housing: Evidence based on the 2001 Census reveals that 3 out of every 10 households in
the District still use traditional building materials (mud, poles, and thatch) hence impacting
negatively through deforestation, biodiversity loss, land degradation and natural resources
depletion. In general, housing delivery is short of supply creating a perpetual inadequacy
especially for the District Council, Land Boards, Tribal and District Administration.
Inadequate housing has grown also due to decentralisation of operations to Sub District
levels. Housing delivery is constrained by uncoordinated and proliferation of settlement that
make provision of infrastructure and social services difficult and expensive.The poor
housing market in the District is also a deterrent to attract the private sector to invest and
provide private and rental housing. In 2001, Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) was
introduced to Southern District. There is a total of 21 settlements that are currently covered
under the programme. The number of applications approved between 2001 and 2003
totalled 292. This programme is bound to have a spin-off effect on housing in the
foreseeable future.
2.7.5 Water Infrastructure: Improving the reliability of village water supply systems impacts
22 REPORT OF SURVEY