UNPAID FARMERS CAN PLOUGH REPOSSESSED LAND

Correspondent | Monday February 3, 2014 16:01

The Minister of Lands and Housing Lebonaamang Mokalake on Friday confirmed that the farmers had not received compensation due to unavailability of funds.

The Ngwato Landboard planned to demarcate the ploughing fields into 1,145 plots. Responding to a question at the Ntlo ya Dikgosi last week, Mokalake said in October 2013, the board allowed the farmers to use the fields until funds for compensation were available.

While he did not state the expected cost of compensation to the farmers, the minister said that P21,756, which was the cost of subsistence and overtime allowance, was used during the survey and demarcation process. Mokalake said while they would re-value the fields once funds were available, farmers had been discouraged from adding developments that would raise the value of the land. Mokalake said his ministry recognised that taking the fields and then delaying compensation was a disadvantage, as the farmers relied mostly on ploughing as a source of income. 

However, he said there was enough time for farmers to plough in this season as they were permitted to use the fields before the rains. 

Mokalake was responding to questions from Kgosi Sello Moroka of the Tswapong region, who wanted to know if the minister was aware that the land board repossessed the fields and had not yet paid compensation to farmers. 

Meanwhile, Mokalake said allocation of land for dikgotla has been and continues to be granted as proposed by tribal administration. It is a practice that applications for land for dikgotla should have the support of the area Kgosi. 

'This is done to address concerns raised by tribal administration regarding the mushrooming of dikgotla everywhere,' said the minister.