Heads must roll at Kgatleng Land Board

The Monitor Editor | Wednesday October 22, 2025 06:28

The stories shared by Bakgatla are not just complaints, but also a damning indictment of a system that has failed the very people it is meant to serve. After years of silence, the board’s chairperson, Mothusi Molefi, has finally admitted to the rot. Now, words must turn into decisive action.

It is shocking to hear that people wait for 25 years for a plot, whilst others skip the queue through backdoor deals. It is unacceptable that correcting a name takes a year, and that files mysteriously go missing. Most alarming is the admission that officials now expect bribes to do their jobs. This culture of corruption and laziness, as described by the Chair himself, is a betrayal of Batswana’s right to fair and efficient land administration.

Kgatleng Land Board must keep its word. As Molefi has promised quarterly meetings and has acknowledged the profound problems, this is a start, but it is not enough. The board must now demonstrate its commitment by taking the clear, difficult next steps. Those employees who are corrupt, incompetent, or simply unwilling to help the public must be removed from their posts. Prosecution should follow where evidence of crimes exists. Batswana deserve dedicated civil servants, not individuals who see their positions as opportunities for personal gain.

We also echo the call from the Chair and Kgosi Bana Sekai that the public must play its part. The forensic audit team is our best chance to clean house. Bakgatla and Batswana who have been asked for a bribe, who have seen a file disappear, or who have evidence of wrongdoing must come forward and report it. Your silence only protects the guilty. This is a collective responsibility to reclaim our land administration from those who have brought it into disrepute.

The land is a sacred inheritance, the foundation for families and futures. To see it mismanaged so terribly is a national disgrace. Kgatleng Land Board and indeed all other land boards have been given a clear mandate by their own leadership and the community they serve. It is time to honour that mandate. Keep your word, root out the corruption, and restore faith in a system that is currently, and rightly, described as a living hell for ordinary citizens. Batswana deserve better.