Land crisis: don�t blame Batswana

Monitor Editor | Monday June 8, 2015 14:50

It therefore, comes as a shock when custodians of this scare commodity, the Department of Lands, declare that instead, Batswana do have land and for that matter in excess.

When appearing before the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee last week, the accounting officer in the Department of Lands and Housing, Thatayaone Raphaka said applicants to land allocation exceed Botswana population.

He is quoted as saying, “This is so because same people apply for plots in each (and every) Land Board. Our challenge is that we do not have proper records about individual’s ownership of land. We believe that Land Administration, Procedures and Systems (LAPCAS) would help us to address the situation”.

Raphaka could not have been addressing himself to the broader land allocations, which cover urban areas serviced by the Department of Surveys and Lands and councils. He must be also be excluding commercial, community and freehold land in urban, peri-urban and commercial farmland and wetlands. He is focusing on areas where Land Boards operate, which is rural Botswana.

This analogy is puzzling to say the least.  Raphaka for starters does not give figures to back his claim. He does not say who has access, in excess.  Does it mean every Motswana is now catered for? When applications exceed the population, is it the two million Batswana, or the population of those who qualify, the 18 year olds and above? What land? Is it residential, and as questioned above, in rural areas only, or the whole country? Is he speaking of only for residential plots?

A typical Motswana family has always had three places to call home – a residential plot in the village, fields (masimo) and cattle-post (moraka).  With urbanisation, there was the town (surveys) plot, SHHA or Botswana Housing Corporation house.  Do these therefore qualify as individual/family having multi-allocations? 

It is interesting also that Raphaka makes these wild allegations without backing them with basic statistics and instead says to wait on LAPCAS.  Maybe before the land mess is blamed on the citizens who have no control over allocations, Raphaka should speak facts and tell the nation who really owns most land in Botswana.