LAPCAS moves at snail�s pace
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday March 10, 2015 13:18
Lands and Housing Minister, Prince Maele said the project, which entails the survey and registration of all land parcels in the country, was encountering resistance from landowners who are unwilling to come forward to confirm their holdings.
Maele told Parliament last week that LAPCAS has thus far surveyed 235,187 plots with 67,728 owners coming forward to confirm ownership. “However, the major challenge continues to be reluctance by some land holders to come forth and confirm ownership of their land, especially in Kweneng District,” he said.
“There are immense benefits of the LAPCAS project to the nation. These range from security of land titles to economic empowerment that may result as and when beneficiaries engage financial institutions.”
It is reported that Ngamiland is one of the areas lagging behind in the exercise. The Ngwato Land Board is leading in the implementation of the project.
A Lands and Housing Ministry source said the main challenge is that people do not understand the importance of LAPCAS. The source said some people believe government wants to repossess their plots.
“People want to know what the findings for LAPCAS would be used for. Some of people who are not willing to cooperate are those who own land in the Okavango area. “Some landowners are also said to be outside the country and people do not have their contacts. Again, some people do not have proper records for their plots,” the source said.