�Land ownership for all impossible� � Seretse
Baboki Kayawe | Wednesday December 3, 2014 12:01
Even the recent one in Oodi was a non-issue to him. According to the minister, land ownership is not meant for everyone!Seretse did not mince his words Monday when he told Parliament that the nation is divorced from reality pertaining to land ownership as many people harbour the thought that everyone has to own a piece of land.
Contrary to popular view, he said the reality on the ground is that some will own land with others forced to rent property.
“When we discuss the land issue we approach it with the mindset that everybody has to own their piece of land while the reality worldwide proves that thinking wrong,” he said.
In addition, he said the land situation in the capital city is not as ugly as it is in other cities across the globe. According to Seretse, no one sleeps under trees here, and that suggests land and housing are better off relative to the global picture.
“That is why today in Gaborone you wont find a situation where people sleep at bus stations,” he continued.
He further said history has shown that many people who apply for land in Gaborone and its vicinity are just taking advantage of the freely available opportunity because most end up selling the land.
He stated that this was an indication that residential purposes was not the main reason why thousands of land applications are forwarded whenever calls to apply for land are made, rather, sales is the sole purpose for land acquisition.
Member of Parliament for Selebi Phikwe West Dithapelo Keorapetse opined that circumstances such as high unemployment are to blame for this status quo.
Moreover, he noted that the fact that it takes time for plots to be allocated in Gaborone and surrounding areas was the cause because in many instances people are allocated land when they are very old. In addition, there is a stipulated time frame to develop that land failure to which, it is repossessed, he said. “If one had applied for land at the age of 35-39 for instance, and it takes 20 or more years for them to be allocated the land, it becomes very difficult for them to develop it.
That’s when they resort to selling,” he added.
However, Seretse indicated that if a person is unable to service land there are processes in place to aid them and that repossession is not the first option.
Despite his rather loaded remarks, he lobbied for an efficient and equitable land allocation system that would not only ensure that the citizenry has access to residential property but industrial land as well in order to set up economic projects in the country.