Morupule land dispute to cause P200m per month losses

A few farmers have rejected compensation from Morupule Coal Mine
A few farmers have rejected compensation from Morupule Coal Mine

Morupule Coal Mine (MCM) says its deadlock with farmers and the Ngwato Land Board (NLB) over compensation values for land on its new mining licence area will result in losses of over P200 million per month.

MCM is locked in a dispute with six of the 166 farmers who hold land rights to the area that the company intends to build a new 1.35 million tonnes per annum coal mine to feed into the planned 300MW power station at Morupule B (Unit 5&6).

 In a blistering statement, in which the company accused the NLB of unjustifiably inflating land prices, MCM said allowing compensation to be set at such extortionate levels sets a dangerous precedent for future projects that are, like Morupule B, necessary for Botswana’s economic development.

Editor's Comment
Batswana need to do better to stop FMD

It is a clear signal that the government’s purse is empty and that our own behaviour has left veterinary officials fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. We have been here before. During COVID-19, many of us thought we knew better. We ignored simple rules, we carried on as if the danger was someone else’s problem, and the virus took lives and left our economy on its knees. We are still broke from that experience. Yet now, with FMD...

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