Mogoditshane Land Board owed P1m in leases

Pauline Dikuelo | Friday July 17, 2015 11:26

Maele revealed this when addressing a kgotla meeting in Gabane yesterday, adding that this situation negatively affected his ministry’s operations and they were working around the clock to rectify the problem.  “I have asked the cabinet to help in this regard, I proposed that if someone goes to renew their shop licenses, they should check if the lease has been paid, if not, they should retain the license until the person pays. It is the only way we can catch these people,” he said

Maele also raised concern over the high number of people who sell their plots, citing that from January to June this year, about 385 plots in Gabane have been transferred to new owners.

The minister said he had tabled a motion in Parliament that stipulates that if a person sells their plot, whether residential or commercial, they should never be liable to be given another one.  “Our population is around 2million and I understand that there are about 3.2 million plots in the country, which indicates that each and every one of us should own one. You are the very same people to be blamed as you sell these plots in return,” he said.  According to Maele, the ministry has also decided to make the waiting list public, following complaints that some people wait a decade to be allocated plots while others are offered one after only a month.

Mogoditshane Land Board has about 140, 000 people on its land allocation waiting list.

Maele also urged parents to write wills and names of dependents on the plot certificates to reduce conflicts in families over inheritance.