Yes, land has always been and forever it will be a topic of interest to the nation. Recently, there was a court victory for Balete tribe who were defending their land claim against Malete Land Board. In their decade long case, the tribe was demanding their Forest Hill Farm. In light of the development, we call on the government to carefully consider such matters. The State should avoid settling matters in courts, especially against its own people where possible. Legal fees in such matters could be steep hence the need for due diligence in dealing with such matters. It is ordinary Motswana who foots the bill at the end of the day in the event of a redress. We know that quite a number of Batswana do not have plots not because there is no land. Rather as a result of the fact that available land is not serviced. Land servicing is costly and all the funds spent on avoidable litigations should therefore be channelled towards development purposes. Another recent disturbing issue relates to petitions by Batswana landowners in Kgatleng. The petitioners alleged that their change of land use permissions were revoked. The issue involves over 100 landowners who have families and in some instances businesses that have employees. Others were developing properties to accommodate Batswana. The issue has been dragging on and government through the Ministry of Lands, Water Management and Sanitation Services is clearly missing in action when it comes to efforts to resolve the matter. The landowners stated that they petitioned Office of The President since they could not be heard by the Minister nor his Ministry. To say that this is a disappointment is an understatement. To make matters worse, the Ministry never came out to rebut any of the information shared by the petitioners who got publicity in the media. The stories are just one sided since the Ministry is not willing to share information as well as respond to media queries on the matter. A number of media houses state that they could not get comments from the Ministry. We are also yet to get a response to our questions that sought clarity on the matter. The Minister and his juniors at the Ministry might have a lot on their plate. However, it is important that they demonstrate that they take such issues seriously and communicate with those involved and Batswana in general. There is another burning issue in Mogoditshane over the compensation in kind policy where landowners were awarded plots in exchange for their ploughing lands. It has been a long time since the policy was suspended as it was being audited. Up to now, people who had wanted to be allocated plots, changes and other services are in the dark about what is going on. The Ministry should understand implications such delays have on the lives of people or at least communicate with them openly. Therefore, we call on Minister Kefentse Mzwinila and his Ministry to come to the party. They must earn trust of Batswana by ensuring that they openly communicate on this matter and tell people solutions they have to deal with the problem. They should take Batswana as partners in land administration across the country to avoid increasing doubts and allegations of corruption currently being levelled against Land Boards .
Today’s thought
