Dikgosi reject limits on land purchases
Innocent Selatlhwa | Wednesday October 28, 2015 18:00
Malema had requested that Dikgosi ask government to limit the number of plots bought by one person in order to curb a situation where only the rich possess land. Presenting his motion, Malema said he was worried about the shortage of land throughout the country.
“Government has done well limiting the number of plots one can be allocated. It is a welcome move in fighting land shortage.
“However, those buying land can still buy as much as they want and this leads to those with plots selling and remaining empty-handed,” he said. Malema suggested that people be restricted to purchasing only two or three plots, saying the policy would eventually combat the rampant selling of plots by those allocated.
Opposing the motion, Kgosi Oleyo Ledimo of Maun region said a policy limiting land purchases would be repressive to investors.
“I say no to the motion. What should rather be done is to encourage people not to sell their land and educate them on its importance,” he said.
Kgosi Tshipe Tshipe of Mahalapye also opposed the motion saying it lacked clarity, as it did not state, which land was targeted.
He further argued that it would be unfair to those in the business of developing and selling land, as they would be out of business.
Kgosi Thabo Masunga said while the motion was brilliant, it needed clarity.
He said there was a worrying trend of Batswana selling their land that needed to be dealt with.
“The Advertiser also encourages land speculation. When people see all those adverts, they buy and sell land.
We need to conserve the future by drafting a land policy that guarantees our future,” he said.
For his part, Lands and Housing minister, Prince Maele rejected the motion, saying the new land policy had answers to the current concerns relating to the selling of land.
“With the new policy, no Motswana will be allowed to sell their last piece of land. The policy also states that whenever one is selling land, priority will be given to Batswana,” he said.
He said that the policy also stated that those who received land through special dispensation like Basarwa could only sell their allocations after 15 years.