The Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) will sell 362 sectional titles this year, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Reginald Motswaiso said at a corporate breakfast seminar held at the Gaborone Sun last week.

In the keynote address Motswaiso said 134 sectional title units would be available for  sale to sitting tenants by the 31st July in Gaborone and Francistown and a further 228 units  by November 2010. The prices will range from P 330 000 to P 880 000 per unit for one, to three bed-roomed apartments.

“We currently have four projects nearing completion that would be available on the market soon. These include 545 houses in Gerald Estates in Francistown, 107 in Serowe, 111 in Maun and 720 units in Block 7 in Gaborone. We intend to deliver 1 424 housing units in the financial year 2010/11 and to start 2 400 units during the same year.”

Motswaiso said with an asset base of over P 1.5 billion they consider themselves to be a stable, efficient and viable brand that is a major role player in the property market. He said their geographical spread gives them an edge over their competitors. He said the acceleration of provision of serviced land and the reintroduction of a refined Installment Purchase Scheme would provide the opportunity of empowering Batswana with homes.

For his part the Minister of Lands and Housing, Nonofo Molefhi said Batswana must own houses to lead decent lives. If Batswana “can buy BHC houses, they can choose not only to stay in the houses but invest in property and contribute significantly to the growth of the economy.
The Minister said the housing problem in Botswana was huge. Over the last five years they had allocated 100 000 plots under residential, customary and state land holdings.