Over 10,000 Batswana snub Land Board interviews
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday November 21, 2022 06:00
“Approximately, over ten thousand Batswana have failed to turn up for Land Board allocation interviews in Chobe, Tawana, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi.
Furthermore, some Land Boards have readily available plots with no waiting lists and I urge those eligible for allocation to consider alternative areas with low or no waiting lists in Land Boards such as Kgalagadi, Chobe, Ghanzi, Tawana.
The Land Boards also have planned about ten thousand more allocations within the month of November and December.
The balance of the target will be achieved within the last quarter of the financial year,” Botswana Association of Tribal Land Authorities (BATLA) president, Johane Chenjekwa told Mmegi in an interview this week.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi this week at the State of the Nation Address (SONA) revealed that they had set a target to allocate 100 000 plots by end of the financial year and have allocated 33 000 plots in over eight months as of November 2022.
Masisi emphasised that they are determined to effectively address the challenge of land allocation to Batswana throughout the country and end the long waiting lists. Adding on what Masisi said in the SONA, Chenjekwa said the Land Boards have managed to allocate 34 116 plots across the country as at November 14, 2022 and allocations are still ongoing.
He revealed that within the 34 116 plots, respective Land Boards have allocated in some peri-urban areas such as Tlokweng (201), Metsimotlhabe (168), Tati Siding (370) and Matshelagabedi (605) which are within closest proximity to Gaborone and Francistown City respectively.
He however said the figure could actually be higher had more Batswana turned up for allocation interviews. “I sincerely hope Batswana will heed to His Excellency’s appeal to Batswana to honour Land Board allocation interviews in order to expedite achievement of the allocation target,” Chenjekwa advised. With the 100 000 plots target the government now has a mountain to climb as it strives to allocate 67 000 plots before end of year.
That means the government has four months to double the number it achieved in eight months. Although it seems like unachievable feat given the time remaining and the figure, Chenjekwa is confident that the allocation target of 100 thousand plots will be achieved and should be met by the end of the Government financial year March, 31, 2023.
On the bright side and with the land allocation waiting list forever a headache for both the citizens and the government, the latter has recorded a significant improvement in the number of plots allocated annually, the first in over 20 years. Masisi’s SONA speech further revealed the fact that the land allocation stands at over 33 000 in over eight months as of November 2022 is a huge increase from an annual average of about 8330 plots per year in the last 20 years.
This means that the number of plots allocated annually has more than tripled.
Asked how they managed to more to achieve the target Chenjekwa said the Land Boards as members of BATLA have over the years made concerted efforts to advocate for government to prioritize inter-Ministerial functions in the land delivery process (e.g. layout plans from Councils, Strategic Environmental Assessments from Department of Environmental Affairs, outsourcing Surveys from the Private Sector).
He said the government then established a Cabinet Sub Committee in 2021 to look into accelerating land allocations which resulted in the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs in conjunction with Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development working together to accelerate development of new detailed layout plans from areas identified for acquisition for village expansion. “The different Land Boards also submitted a list of detailed layout plans that contained the locations and number of plots in each layout. This indicated that there were 109 detailed layout plans that have been approved by the different District Councils, containing a cumulative 63,126 plots.
The Ministry has decided to outsource to private Land Surveyors for these detailed layout plans so that the plots will be ready for allocation by the end of the financial year,” he further highlighted. Chenjekwa also indicated that the Land Boards have increased the frequency of Board sittings to expedite land allocations. In order to cope with the intensified workload, the Land Boards continue to make efforts in realigning and streamlining activities to rationalize available resources to ensure that manpower is re-aligned to deliver ongoing land allocations.
He said there are also concerted efforts by BATLA and the Land Boards to intensify publicity across various communication platforms to increase the level of attendance by applicants during Board Sittings.
As Land Boards allocate land Chenjekwa said they were still worried about the issue of land transfer and some Batswana who disinherit their land. “Disinheritence of land through transfers or sale remains a concern because as it stands, the Botswana Land Policy 2019 only allows for each Motswana to be allocated one residential plot on both state land and tribal land.
One of the functions of BATLA under the Tribal Land Act 2018 is to constructively engage the Land Boards in equitable distribution of land to citizens of Botswana in terms of existing legislation,” he revealed. Chenjekwa also said as the president of the Association he is equally championing for the symbolic dignity conferred to Batswana through the ownership of land.
He said with the enhanced value of tribal land expected to be brought about by the Deed of Customary Land Grant, BATLA’s vision of influencing the management of land for Prosperity and Harmony for Batswana will be realised through the secure and protected ownership of land.