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The residents, who thronged their main kgotla yesterday to attend a meeting called by Seretse, promised they would put him in their history book of records, if he dissolved the board, as he would have done them a great favour. Seretse had called the meeting to inform Bakwena about proposed changes in the way land would be allocated, as well as to hear their complaints about the way their land board was operating. The gathering followed a kgotla meeting, in which fireworks were reported. One of the residents, Clement Kgosiemang accused the Land Board of favouring Bakwena of Indian origin saying they had been allocated business plots on prime land along the main road. "The Land Board has for a long time disadvantaged us. Please do us a favour, deliver us from evil, fire all the land board members," he begged the minister. A visibly unhappy, Ngwanamotho Kgosientsho of Ntloedibe Ward requested the minister to fire all Land Board members immediately. "It is the first time for me to see them in our kgotla since we elected them into office, a long time ago," Kgosientsho said. He pointed at the chairman of the board and said, "I am talking about my nephew who is sitting right there, next to you, you must fire all of them please." Kgosientsho said the Kweneng Land Board members were bullies who behaved like demigods. He said he was surprised to learn about Mosetsanamontle Farm being advertised for sale to the public. This farm was allocated when chiefs were responsible for land and since then there have been mysterious developments, he said. He requested that there should be an investigation into how the land board got involved in matters relating to the farm. Kgosientsho then added that the minister should fire the land board because it had brought misery to the lives of Bakwena. Another resident Basiamang Garebakwena said that the removal of Land Overseers in the land allocation process was the biggest mistake government ever made. He said they were the people who knew a lot about land territories and the people living inside them, therefore they should be involved in every stage of allocating land. He accused the land board of failing to consult Bakwena when allocating land. Other speakers complained about their bad experiences when seeking assistance from the land board. Nkhumo Beline said it was impossible to meet land board officials, and application letters had to be written in order to meet the chairman. Seretse said he had no powers to fire land board members but assured the residents that he would put the Land Board under serious observation. He said Land Boards would be transferred from the Ministry of Local Government and will fall under his ministry with effect from April. He urged his audience to desist from making corruption accusations against land boards without evidence. "If you have evidence that people had been allocated plots in a dubious manner please come to our offices with evidence and we will investigate," he said. Earlier on when addressing the people, Seretse explained why the allocation of infills was halted saying they would be used as playgrounds for children or be put into planning. When put under planning a space could produce two plots instead of one, he said. Furthermore, Seretse urged Batswana to desist from selling land to foreigners because they would end up landless while the former own chunks of land. He also explained that plots that were put under planning were allocated in such a way that they left space for developments like electricity lines, pipelines and sewerage pipelines that are often installed at a later stage, when people have already developed their residential plots. He said government was working on a land policy document in which a person would be allocated one plot only.
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