Gov’t to acquire more private land

It was recently revealed that government has acquired the 45, 000 hectares of land and will pay the seller, Tati Company, P1.4 billion over two financial years. Before the deal, in the North-East, about five percent of Botswana’s land was made up of ‘prime’ freehold land.

Even though it is the smallest in terms of percentage, freehold land is amongst the most valuable land in the country and it is often agricultural land or one used for ranching. Although the government disclosed that the Tati Company acquisition was a peaceful transition, the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs Kefentse Mzwinila recently told Parliament that the land in the North-East has given them hope to purchase other freehold lands at a price.