Palapye
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Palapye | |
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  Palapye
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| Coordinates: 22°33′S 27°08′E / 22.55°S 27.133°E | |
| Country |  Botswana |
| District | Botswana Central District |
Palapye is a large town in Botswana, situated about halfway between Francistown and Gaborone (240km away from Gabarone and 170km away from Francistown). Over the years its position has made it a convenient stopover on one of Southern Africa's principal north–south rail and road routes. It also has a small airfield, as well as the Morupule Colliery coal mine, which supplies Morupule Power Station, Botswana's principal domestic source of electricity. The power station has undertaken an expansion project to increase its generation capacity in an effort to meet the country's increasing demand for electricity. Construction is propsed to begin in 2010.
In 1997 Palapye was said to be the fastest-growing village in Africa, with plans to expand its population from 30,000 to 180,000.[citation needed]
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[edit] Developments
Palapye is experiencing a wide variety of development. Plans are in the advanced stages to build the second University of Botswana in Palapye. Construction for this is expected to commence by April 2010.
Due to current black-outs across the country, resulting from South Africa's refusal to supply electricity to Botswana, construction of the campus has been further delayed. The current power shortages have also halted construction for further developments in the area, such as the expansion for the Morupule Power Station. Plans for a new hospital, similar to the newly constructed Serowe Hospital, have also been proposed.
An International Airport, that will be located on the Palapye-Serowe road, is another development that is being considered. Construction for this, if the plan goes through, shall commence, by late 2010. This will follow the expansion of the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, which is the main international airport in Botswana.
From being a mere stop-over, Palapye is rapidly developing to one of Botswana's main financial, residential and educational hubs. The town's physical size has more than doubled since the 1990s.[citation needed]
[edit] Education
Palapye is the home of several private schools catering for the demand for independent education. This includes the fast-growing, popular Kgaswe School, which caters to over 500 students. It was only a pre-school and a primary school until 2006, when, under public demand and influence, the Kgaswe Board of Directors decided to open up a high school section as well. Kgaswe began Form 1 (equivalent to grade 8) in January 2006. Every year, 1 extra class will be added. The secondary school is officially registered with the Cambridge International Examinations and offers the IGCSE syllabus, A-levels and possiblly HIGCSE and Cambridge Pre-U. As of 2010, Kgaswe will have introduced A-levels.
There are also other Government High Schools. Lotsane Senior Secondary School is one of the main government schools in Palapye. It accommodates learners from Forms 4 to 5. It is one of the very few boarding schools in the area. Other schools in the town include Royal School, Mustard Seed and Kereditswe Primary School.
The proposed International University of Science and Technology will also be built in Palapye. The University will help ease the burden of the University's main campus, in the country's capital, Gaborone, which in recent times has been known to turn away many prospective students. The Gaborone campus is the only University in the country, and it has been struggling to meet the demand for an increased number of students. The university in Palapye will help address the situation. It will be formed as part a possible second campus for the University of Botswana. After numerous delays, the project was accepted. It will be located near the Palapye Water Affairs site and construction is due to commence in April 2010, with land clearing having already begun.
[edit] Tourist attractions
There are several well known tourist attractions close to Palapye. The Khama Rhino sanctuary is probably the best known and is 40km from Palapye. The Tswapong Hills also have many areas of historical significance and well as the Moremi Gorge. This is an area of great beauty as it has a permanent water source.
Some 20 km ESE of Palapye, close to the village of Malaka, are the remains of Phalatswe, also called Old Palapye, the capital of the Bamangwato people under Khama III from 1889 to 1902.[1]
[edit] Transport
In 2008, proposals were made to build a new Trans-Kalahari Railway to a port in Namibia.
If plans do go ahead for the proposed Palapye International Airport, it will be the country's second international airport, after Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone, easing the increased traffic that is currently being experienced at the present airport.
