Gare explains delays on Leather Park implementation
The Minister of Entrepreneurship, Karabo Gare clarified that a portion of the delay is attributed to drought and other contributing factors
The Minister of Entrepreneurship, Karabo Gare has admitted that the Leather Park project has delayed over the years.
He said this was due to some critical concept changes aimed at addressing environmental green credentials; as well as sustainability issues resulting from a decline in cattle population.
Gare explained that the delay is also due to drought and other factors. The minister confirmed that the project was transferred from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to the Ministry of Entrepreneurship in 2022.
He told Parliament this week that the Leather Park Project will be implemented in three phases. The first phase of the project entails the resuscitation of the four womb to reinvent the Lobatse Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) tannery.
This, he said, will include a refurbishment of the tannery and the development of an Effluent Treatment Plant infrastructure to manage the resultant solid and liquid waste.
“I am happy to announce that the Leather Park Project has been included in the Transitional National Development Plan (TNDP) and will be implemented through the Development Manager Model. The project will be completed in the last quarter of financial year 2024/2025.
“Second and third phases which are the intermediate and final phases of this project will be implemented within the Lobatse Special Economic Zone site: otherwise referred to as the Meat and Leather City”, Gare said when answering a question from Member of Parliament for Kgalagadi South, Sam Brooks.
He emphasised that this will include infrastructure for post-tanning, right through to finished leather, and production of leather goods. According to Gare, preliminary works to pave way for infrastructure development were started in May 2023 by de-bushing the plot.
“Three citizen owned companies were awarded the de-bushing works tender and completed the work in June 2023. In July 2023, two other citizen owned contractors were awarded a tender for fencing the Leather Park site.
“The companies are expected to complete the works in December 2023, after which other construction works will follow. The Government has been worried about the delays in implementation. To correct, the project is among those prioritised in the TNDP.” MP Brooks had asked the Minister of Entrepreneurship to inform Parliament on how his Ministry intends to operationalise the long overdue Lobatse Leather Park Project, given that the initial assigned implementing Government agency has since been transferred to his Ministry; and what are the timelines committed to ensure that this time around the project gets off the ground and that there is delivery.