- Tsaone Segaetsho
Botswana’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, Bogolo Kenewendo, informed Parliament this week that the government has successfully acquired 1 642 staff houses in Selebi Phikwe from the liquidator of the defunct BCL Mine. The purchase, valued at approximately P300 million, marks a significant intervention aimed at stabilising the mining town’s economy following nearly a decade of decline.
BCL, once a major employer through its copper and nickel operations, was placed under liquidation in 2016 under the previous BDP-led administration, resulting in the loss of around 5,000 jobs. Since then, the liquidator has been disposing of the company’s assets, including the Tati Phoenix Mine complex, BCL Farm, Tati Laboratory Complex, slag dump and tailings dam.
Kenewendo noted that the staff houses were among the assets put on auction, but given Selebi Phikwe’s fragile economic state and the fact that many former mine employees still reside in these properties, the government opted to intervene. “Government decided to purchase the houses to safeguard livelihoods and provide an opportunity for Batswana, especially former BCL employees, to benefit from this acquisition,” she told Parliament.
Funding for the transaction was secured through the Ministry of Minerals and Energy, with ownership of the properties now officially transferred to the government. Kenewendo further indicated that efforts are underway to develop a framework that ensures local communities, particularly former BCL workers, are prioritised in the allocation or eventual ownership of these houses.
Meanwhile, in a parallel effort to revive the mining sector and the town’s fortunes, President Duma Gideon Boko announced during a kgotla meeting in Selebi Phikwe two months ago that discussions with Premium Nickel Resources Management regarding the reopening of the BCL Mine are at an advanced stage.
To provide clarity and accountability on the mine’s closure and asset sales, the government has established a Commission of Enquiry chaired by former Advocate Judge Malcolm Wallace. The commission commenced its work last month and will ultimately make recommendations on the BCL Mine’s closure and the processes that led to it.
These initiatives signal a concerted push by government to not only address the socio-economic fallout from BCL’s collapse but also to pave the way for renewed investment and long-term economic sustainability in Selebi Phikwe.
