Big cities across the world struggle with crime and Francistown, the country’s second-largest city, is no exception.
36-year-old Mothusi Onneile, a small-scale businessman operating a secretarial business in the Francistown central business district (CBD), knows this only too well.
While walking to the bus rank to catch a kombi to Gerald Estates, where he stays with his small family of five, he was mugged right in the central business district and lost his jacket, wallet and passport.
“I stopped walking in the city center at night,” said Onneile, recalling what has become a familiar story in this city of approximately 105, 000 people.
Due to aging streetlight bulbs and the general infrastructure causing a man-made power blackout on a regular basis, the streets of the country’s second-largest city have become havens for muggings and even motorists are not safe.
Although the police could not immediately provide statistics on muggings, the law enforcement agency has admitted that mugging incidents are on the rise.
But an ambitious city lighting project is underway to provide the relief many residents seek.
Francistown City Council (FCC) is installing solar-powered street lights that will illuminate the CBD, with plans to extend the project to other parts of the city.
The country is increasingly turning to the sun for its energy requirements, with the government partnering with the private sector in building solar farms countrywide, as it charts its green energy revolution.
According to Godisang Radisigo, the FCC mayor, solar street lights will reduce electricity bills and save the city a surmountable amount running into millions of Pula annually.
The council will use P2 million from road levy for the supply and installation of solar streetlights at P600,000.00 and flood lights at P300,000.00 in Block 8 location, said Radisigo recently when addressing a full council session.
Radisigo added that tenders have been awarded and the contractors have been handed the sites.
Moreover, P1, 100,000.00 was used to procure 350no. LED streetlight fittings for replacement in the notorious high-density locations of Ntshe, Gerald Estates, Kgaphamadi, Coloured and Maipaafela, White City, Bluetown and Aerodrome.
“The in-house replacement of these LED fittings is ongoing at 26 percent completion and taking over of Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) streetlights by replacing with solar streetlights in Francistown South was completed in February 2024,” he said.
In the same manner, the installation of solar streetlights in the Francistown East constituency is at the evaluation stage for labour only, according to the mayor.
“It makes sense turning to solar because the sun is free and the municipality is failing to service public amenities citing lack of funds,” said Tlamelo Keborwere, a vendor who hawks fruits, sweets and mobile phone recharge cards in the CBD.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mmadinare solar cluster project, President Mokgweetsi Masisi said Botswana is endowed with several hours of sunshine in a year, with infrequent total cloud cover which places Botswana among the countries with the highest irradiation levels in the world.
