District Councils were
established in Botswana through the Local Government (District Councils) Act
of 1965. Later, the first Local Government Structure Commission of 1979 recommended
the creation of Sub- Districts within larger districts. The commission did
not provide guidelines, but a number of factors can be identified which were
used in the establishment of such, namely;
a) Homogeneity:-
According to the 1979 Commission, the preservation of social cohesion and
homogeneity, resources, etc contirbuted to easier and orderly and universally
accepted delineation of Sub- Districts.
b)Political Consideration:-
The need to enhance local Governance by the facilitating easier political
contact and bringing administrative structure closer to the people have also
influenced establishment of Sub- Districts.
c)Geographical Factors:-
In an endeavor to bring the services closer to the communities, it
became necessary to establish Sub- Districts in some of the larger districts
whose spatial and geographical spread militated against easy and effective
services delivery. this aimed to improve accessibility to services and enhancing
efficiency in providing service to communities.
d)Population
Population size has also been an important consideration in the establishment
of sub- districts.
Population Distribution by Sub- Districts and thier sizes
| Sub- Districts | Population 1991 | Projected Population 2000 | Size sq KM |
| Serowe/ Palapye | 128 471 | 169 172 | 30 904 |
| Tutume | 100 049 | 83 951 | 43 837 |
| Mahalapye | 95 433 | 125 667 | 23 456 |
| Bobirwa | 53 558 | 70 526 | 13 133 |
| Boteti | 35 459 | 46 673 | 34 943 |
| Tonota | 39 523 | ||
| Total | 412 970 | 543 803 | 146 273 |
The report on the Second Commission on Local Government Structure in Botswana proposed establishment of Administrative Authorities, additional Sub Districts and Service centres. The recommendation was subsequently approved through recommendation number 8.3.9 (a) of the Government White Paper No.1 of 2004. The establishment of Administrative Authorities and additional Sub Districts is meant to disperse decision-making structures closer to the populace for effective and efficient service delivery. However it is worth noting that Administrative Authority does not have a catchment area.