The BFTU says Botswana faces a number of major challenges to overhaul the laws governing land administration and management. It says the institutions responsible for planning and allocation of serviced land are no longer effective to serve the nation and there is need for change.
It proposes a limit of one free plot on tribal land per person. BFTU proposes that if people choose to sell their one-off customary grant of residential allocation, they should be allowed to do so without the consent of the Land Boards. However, the transfer should be registered at the Land Board.
In allocation of state land in urban areas, BFTU proposes that government should focus its financial and administrative resources on assisting the poor to obtain land and shelter.
The BFTU says government should introduce legislation to prohibit lending practices that discriminate against women, “such as requiring them to obtain their husbands’ consent”. It says Land Boards should continue to assess all applications on merit even in cases of vulnerable groups, such as orphans. Age should not be a barrier to allocate land to a person less than 18 years of age, the organisation says.
BFTU says orphans have always been at risk of dispossession of land and property. “This is emerging as a major problem as a consequence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Botswana.
In order to protect the property rights of orphans, consideration should be given to amending the Children’s Act,” the policy document recommends.
The BFTU says it is important for the government to harness existing water sources as outlined in the National Agricultural Master Plan for Arable and Dairy Development (NAMPADD).
The labour movement says Botswana could learn from the Israeli experience where an arid region was transformed into a green belt. “Water harvesting during periods of rain should be undertaken to ensure that the available water does not go to waste.
Dams should be built wherever possible to store up water and irrigation should be developed to make use of the harvested water,” the position paper says.
BFTU suggests that NAMPADD should concentrate on the reform and revitalisation of cooperatives through a greater involvement of the restructured rural sector with the state divestiture.
The BFTU also encourages the pursuance of research by the Agricultural Research Unit.
It says education should be viewed as a basic human right, and that provision of universal primary and secondary education should remain the main goal of the education policy.
To achieve this goal, BFTU suggests that primary education must be free and compulsory. “The girl child should not be disadvantaged in the provision of education at all levels.
It is, therefore, important that government continues to play an active role in universalising primary and secondary education,” BFTU says.
“With the prevailing high levels of unemployment, it is necessary to re-orient the education system so that it provides relevant practical training. Business and practical courses should counter balance the academic focus of the present curriculum,” the position paper recommends.
It calls for improvement of working conditions in the health sector to arrest the brain drain of health workers.
The BFTU emphasises that shelter is a fundamental human right that all Batswana should have access to, as proposed by the Vision 2016. The organisation regrets that despite the fact that shelter is a critical issue for the workers and the poor, the policy on poverty reduction and alleviation has, until recently, neglected the housing needs of the poor. “Government should ensure that housing is a focus of all poverty alleviation and reduction policies.
The availability of serviced land in urban areas has failed to keep pace with population growth. This has increased land prices and created hardships for the poor.
“More land must be made available and serviced in all cities and townships. Much more land must be made available and serviced in the peri-urban areas surrounding the city of Gaborone and other urban centres.
This requires fundamental changes in the approach to the problem as well as planning and land management,” the BFTU paper points out.
It further states that government should end taxation on essential commodities such housing, basic foods and medication.
