Khama is right on land but...

Recently, we have been aware as a country that lack of access to land has become a major impediment to development. Land shortage especially in urban and peri-urban areas is derailing our development objectives. Land access has become a punishment to everyone with an interest in development. Small businesses are denied access to reasonable rentals because land speculators have driven prices beyond  reasonable levels. Private citizens who otherwise should have access to house ownership cannot afford simple accommodation because our land has become too scarce and prices have to be jerked up to serve the few with the land. 

However as a nation, we cannot let land speculators hold us at ransom. Every development agenda cannot be achieved without access to land. However, we also know that access to shelter is a right that is enshrined in the constitution. Any serious government will inevitably look at its ability to deliver housing to its citizens. President Ian Khama's State of the Nation Address indicates that he has taken it upon himself to deal with this matter.

The President deserves credit just for recognising that the land issue is a challenge. But this is not even half the challenge, as the President will realise. This country has been saddled with this problem for so long that some might even posit that it is not a challenge anymore. However, the President should not be sidetracked by those who have been milking the problem for their own benefit. We are glad that the matter has reached the highest level of our political leadership. We think turning the Botswana Housing Corporation into a housing authority would thus change its mandate from commercial to public service. The President deserves credit for this new approach. However, we would like to warn him that the direction that he is taking may be much more challenging than he may think. This is because land ownership and landlessness are at the heart of our political establishment. Big donors to the ruling party have their interests automatically linked to land ownership. To sort out the problem of land ownership, one would have to ruffle a few feathers and we hope the President has the appetite and the self-confidence to maintain the course. Secondly, we think the President needs to commission a proper audit of all the land in the country. The starting point for any move towards solving the problem of land access is a proper understanding of the patterns of land ownership in the country. The President will not get far if he does not want to get basic information as to who owns what piece of land. This is vital. We think this should be the starting point for any proper handling of this problem. Kudos to Khama for at least recognising the land problem. Now go for the solution and you know where to start. 

                                                    Today's Thought

             'The land was ours before we were the land's.' Robert Frost quotes

                                             (American poet, 1874-1963)