Agony of growing old without a home
Pini Bothoko | Tuesday February 13, 2024 06:00
This was revealed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bobonong, Taolo Lucas when debating a motion on Friday. Lucas had tabled a motion requesting government to conduct a comprehensive land audit to determine ownership, distribution, use, or misuse of land in Botswana to evolve an efficient, productive, and equitable land use plan for the country. The legislator revealed that most Batswana in their 50s are still living with their parents and their own families and their siblings, something that has left most of them frustrated and no longer having dignity.
“Families are in disputes because they are crowded in one place without residential plots. Married couples are fighting with their in-laws and partners’ siblings. The fights could have been avoided if the government could have allocated plots on time. Delays in plot allocation are frustrating people; they no longer have dignity. The government of today is failing to deliver services to a population of two million whilst, in some countries in the region, it would be the equivalent of the population of that country's district. Some people have been on the waiting list for more than 30 years and are currently in their 50s without plots,” he said. Lucas said this calls for a comprehensive land audit to establish what could be the problem. He stated that Batswana have lost hope in the government of today, something that is evident as they could not miss talking about plot allocation in kgotla meetings and across social media platforms. “Acquiring land remains a frustrating exercise for Batswana. There is nothing more peaceful than having a place of your own, but this is no longer possible in Botswana. Most people do not have plots unless they have bought or inherited them; how should people wait for years to be allocated plots? People are allocated plots when they are old and no longer have the energy and money to develop the land and have lost their dignity,” he said. Furthermore, this prolonged wait for plot allocations has given rise to what some experts call a 'failure to launch' scenario amongst the youth. The term 'failure to launch' typically refers to individuals, often young adults, who face challenges in achieving independence and autonomy, such as moving out of their parents' homes, establishing a career, or acquiring property. This underlying theme aligns with the challenges and frustrations associated with delayed access to key resources needed for personal and family independence.
This inability to secure residential plots has hindered the youth from achieving key milestones of independence, contributing to a sense of frustration and stagnation. Young adults, even in their 30s and 40s, find themselves still living with their parents, unable to establish their households. This not only impacts their dignity but has led to increased familial disputes and a growing sense of hopelessness. When he took to the podium, Yandani Boko, the Mahalapye East MP, shared the same sentiments as Lucus, revealing that at his age, he is yet to be allocated a residential plot. “Acquiring land remains a problem, especially amongst the youth. At my age, I am still living with my parents as I am yet to be allocated a plot. This is frustrating and the government has to do something about it. What is delaying the allocation of land, especially to a population of two million people?” he said.
In response to Lucas’ motion, the Minister of Land Management, Water, and Sanitation Services, Kefentse Mzwinila, agreed with Lucas that there is a delay in plot allocation. However, he said there is no need for an audit to be carried out because as the ministry they have since 2009 been conducting Land Administration Procedures Capacity and Systems registering plots to establish who owns what kind of plot, for what purpose, and where. “The ministry has stepped up to map out, survey, and register all plots in the country for the improvement of proper land management and service delivery. You could be saying there is a need for a comprehensive review of the law in plot allocation, at least not an audit because that is what the ministry has been doing. I agree that there is a delay in land allocation, but when we allocate plots in 50 applications, we end up allocating plots to 20 people with the rest of the people having residential plots already,” Mzwinila said. Mzwinila said as a ministry they are concerned because they allocate plots to Batswana who transfer them to foreigners.