Tender query delays 100K plots target
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday March 28, 2023 06:00
The delay follows some bidders challenging the award of a tender for the Survey and Examination of the survey diagrams. In June last year, Mzwinila revealed that the ministry had set an ambitious target to allocate 100,000 residential plots for the financial year 2022–2023.
In the previous State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Mokgweetsi Masisi reiterated the commitment even though by November 2022, only 33,000 plots were allocated in over eight months. 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.
The minister told legislators on Friday that as of March 17, the Ministry had allocated 54,100 (54%) plots in tribal areas to Batswana beginning April 2022. This, he said is more than six times the number of plots which the ministry has been allocating in the past years. He said the allocation of land within the current dispensation is a lengthy process that involves consultation with different stakeholders.
To produce a plot with all the modern attributes being plot number, plot size, coordinates, and relationship to the existing plots and the parent plots requires a process that starts with development planning, land acquisition, detailed planning, surveying, allocation, and registration, according to Mzwinila. “The 100,000 residential plot allocation target to Batswana during the financial year 2022–2023 was set within the existing resources of the ministry and government at large. “The target did come with additional resources and to accelerate plot allocation, my ministry floated a tender for the Survey and Examination of the survey diagrams in August 2022," he said.
The tender consisted of three parts: Part A, the Cadastral Survey, which consisted of the survey of the General Plans consisting of plots. It was awarded to 27 companies; Part B consisted of the examination of the survey records which has been awarded to six Batswana companies; and Part C was the survey of the Outside Figures awarded to 13 Batswana companies. “However, the award of the Cadastral Survey (Part A) of the tender was challenged by some of the bidders and led to the Procurement Tribunal setting aside Part A of the tender. This resulted in the delay of the exercise and subsequently plot allocations,” Mzwinila said. The minister revealed that the tender is expected to yield an additional 63,316 plots that will be ready for allocation. “This has affected our delivery timelines of the 100,000 plots.
The exercise began on March 6 and it is expected to be completed by April 5. Therefore, the plots will be ready in the first quarter of the financial year 2023–2024,” he said. He further bemoaned that as they picked up the pace of plot allocations, they encountered a situation where applicants do not turn up when called for interviews by the Land Boards. “Our Land Boards were and remain accommodative by inviting applicants at least three times before they can defer their applications. This low turn-up ranged from 15% to 51% across the various Land Boards. Several factors contribute to this scenario and the key among them is the multiple applications,” Mzwinila said.
“Our efforts to allocate plots are also affected by the allottees who return plots to the Land Boards in preference of alternative areas. Batswana have been encouraged to return plots when they are not able to develop them.
They will be placed back on the waiting list and given priority when they are ready to develop. We have, however, realised that plots are being returned so that applicants are not disqualified at their alternative areas of application. This is because the land information system can vet applicants.” Mzwinila was responding to a question from Bobonong legislator, Taolo Lucas who wanted an update on the target.