People with disabilities abused in land policy

Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Thursday February 22, 2018 13:12

An officer from the Disability office in the Office of President (OP), Phinda Khame, told an empowerment workshop for caregivers and people with disabilities held at the Fairgrounds Holdings recently that the policy stipulates that people with disabilities must not be on a waiting list when applying for plots.

But unscrupulous individuals use people with disabilities to apply for land so that they could buy it cheaply from them.

“We have realised that there are people who take advantage of this policy by sending people with disabilities to apply for land only to buy it from them with less money. This has therefore made it hard for Land Board officials to allocate you land. Once you are given a piece of land, there is no how the government will give you another plot because you have misused your chance and sold the land that you were given,” he said.

In response, some of the caregivers and people with disabilities expressed displeasure with the services they get from Land Board officials.

Some said that while they have undergone assessment and have all the necessary documents from the relevant stakeholders, their pleas are in most cases turned down because of their disabilities.

“I have applied for a land and all the necessary procedures were followed. When I thought I was going to be given a piece of land, I was told that I could not be given land because of my disabilities. The sad part is I am living at my parents’ house. What will happen to me if my parents pass away? What if my siblings chase me away from the yard?” said asked one of the participants.

Some of the participants said they did not find the land policy beneficial because Land Boards always reject their applications. Some even said they had given up in acquiring land.

The policy says where land is available on public tender; consideration will be made for the reservation of a quota for people living with disabilities.

It also says there will be special dispensation in considering applications for land for people with disabilities.

Khame called on caregivers and people living with disabilities to seek help from his office where their concerns would be addressed and their concerns would be resolved.

Furthermore, Khame added they were facing challenges with societal attitudes towards people with disabilities. He said there was need for change of perceptions, and called for people with disabilities to be treated with respect and dignity.