Tawana wants Land Boards to recognise old allocations
Baboki Kayawe | Thursday August 10, 2017 17:12
When debating the Tribal Land Bill in Parliament on Tuesday, he said there are many cases in which Land Boards authorities have been extremely slow in registering old customary land grants, and threats of relocations have become the norm. “The cases of Shashe and Sexaxa residents in Maun are living examples of what Land Boards are making people go through, and relocations looming in these areas. The law shouldn’t give Land Boards too much powers and end up with instances where land previously allocated by chiefs is not recognised,” he said.
He stressed that Land Boards need to respect allocations made before they were set up. Moremi, who is a lawyer by profession and a Batawana royal, reminded Land Boards that when they were established post Independence, their role was to protect the interest of tribesmen as opposed to what they are currently doing. “Land Boards don’t respect what they were set up to stand for. Their key mandate is to ensure land security in local hands, but they have since failed to live to that mandate,” he said.
Masego Segokgo of Tlokweng argued that the land issue remained unresolved in his constituency, which required detailed consultation, but little has been done thus far. The issue is a hot potato in Tlokweng. Infact, it was Segokgo’s key campaign priority when he got elected this winter subsequent to the passing of Same Bathobakae.
He challenged the Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, Prince Maele who when presenting the Bill said consultation with dikgosi was done. “Apart from the presentation of this of Bill to Ntlo Ya Dikgosi on 5th April 2017, the Bill, was at the initial stages of drafting presented to Ntlo Ya Dikgosi in January 2016 at GICC (Gaborone Internatiuonal Convention Centre) where dikgosi supported it,” presenting the Bill, Maele had said.
Challenging Maele’s position, Segokgo said meeting dikgosi in places such as the GICC was not a proper channel of engagement as they are laid out processes to consult them - through Kgotla meetings in the presence of their communities. Adding that there is no how dikgosi could support the Bill in a forum where the public was exempted.
“The fact that the Bill provides that each Land Board shall have a Kgosi or a deputy as part of the ex-offico membership while dikgosi have advised that the Bill go for further consultation does not sit well with me. There will be a lapse if this goes ahead without their proposed consultation,” he said.
In July, the Bill was presented to Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and the House advised Parliament to defer consideration of the Bill pending consultations with communities. Other MPs called for strict land management measures to curb the prevailing land monopoly and instabilities that may result from land mismanagement and its inequitable distribution.
Mahalapye East MP, Tshireletso Botlogile said there was a disturbing trend of certain highly influential individuals who are always the first to know whenever land repossessions are done.
“There are sell-outs within the Land Boards who give tip-offs to powerful people with money whenever repossessions are to be made. This is a serious concern that has to be addressed. Take Tsholofelo East plots, for instance. The monopoly there is heart-wrenching. A certain individual owns almost everything there. How come they knew about repossessions before everybody else to an extent that they made contacts with plot owners to present offers to buy those plot?” she wondered.
In support of the Bill, she further said it was time this monopoly was crushed since proceeds from rentals and other activities of the land ended up being repatriated to foreign economies because expatriates are dominating local land ownership. “These amendments are coming late when harm has already been done to our land management system. Land is a sensitive issue that must be handled diligently or else it will result in conflict,” she cautioned.
Amongst other amendments, the Bill prohibits granting of land under customary grant to non-citizens unless such a person has been specially exempted or is a member of a class of people specially exempted by the minister.