28 Apr 2014

Because of growth and expansion of some major villages in Botswana, it is not surprising that developments are now encroaching into what used to be lands reserved for other purposes such as grazing and ploughing.

This is probably the best explanation for the existence of farms or ploughing lands right in the middle of major developments in some villages in Kweneng District, especially Molepolole and Mogoditshane.

Kgosi Mookodi Mokopotsa of Ratlhomelang ward in Molepolole said he was aware of many farms in his ward that were either being ploughed or lying fallow. He said such a scenario, where some farms were surrounded by homesteads, was mainly caused by village expansions.

“These changes are to be expected. We were consulted when the Molepolole Development Plan was put together. We were notified of changes in land use,” he said.

However, Kgosi Makopotsa said they had not had any consultations with the land board, which usually directly approached land owners when looking for farm land. He said he had heard that the land board was planning to repossess such lands, but was restrained by lack of funds to pay for the developments on the plots.

“Some people are complaining about low compensation for their lands offered by the land boards, but they complain in unofficial platforms,” he said.

For his part, Public Relations Officer of Kweneng Land Board, Mr Sandy Mosarwa, said they can only pay compensation for developments that were done on the plots. He added that they usually allocate the evictee a piece of land elsewhere before taking over his plot.

“But we are facing a huge challenge because land owners are not willing to give up their lands rights,” he said. Ends