Tawana wants Land Boards to recognise old allocations

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.