16 Dec 2014

Some members of community-based organisations have expressed concern that the Ministry of Lands and Housing’s delay to sign their lease agreements with their joint venture partners.

They complained during the Ngamiland Community Based National Resources Management (CBNRM) meeting that the new arrangement in which the lease was signed between the department of lands and the investor took long thereby impacting negatively on the trusts’ operations.

Initially the signing of leases was done by trusts and Tawana Land Board but the government took a decision to transfer the arrangement to the Ministry of Lands and Housing. Members said it had also affected the CBNRM programme as it did not produce the expected results. 

They observed that their district was the cornerstone of the programme in the country yet they benefited very little. CBNRM is a development approach that supports natural resources conservation and management while ensuring that the rural communities do benefit from the natural resources.

Members also indicated that many community development projects which were in the pipeline had been suspended due to financial constraints. It was reported that many trusts had retrenched workers because they were not generating income.

Kgosi Gokgathang Moalosi of Sankoyo expressed frustration noting that they had long awarded tenders since April this year but the relevant department had delayed to approve. 

He said during the the signing was done by the trust and Tawana Land Board everything was moving perfectly but since the new arrangement, trusts have been not operating accordingly. 

Kgosi Molaosi requested the relevant departments to speed up the process noting that CBNRM was a good initiative aimed at promoting natural resources conservation and sustainable utilization by the local communities who reap economic and social benefits.

Batawana Local Administration Authority representative, Kgosi George Bendu shared the same sentiments noting that the objective of the CBRNRM was to see communities developing their villages, creating employment to eradicate poverty but that was not happening.

He said maladministration and embezzlement of funds by trusts had also affected their running. For her part, the acting director of department of Lands, Ms Segomotso Maroba explained that the CBRNM program was expected to produce positive results because it focused on natural resources.

She said the government introduced the program to assist the community eradicate poverty within their respective villages.  She also urged members to appreciate that the government made changes looking at the interests of the community, investors and the government. 

He said the decision to transfer the signing of the lease to the department of lands was taken because the government wanted to have one point where leases could be signed.  “Every new arrangement comes with pros and cons, I know the decision did not go well with you but at the end of the day we should join hands and ensure it works,” she added.

Ms Maroba also explained that the new arrangement was ideal as they wanted to see the difference in the lives of the communities. 

The government has taken a decision to transfer lease signing from land boards which means the department of lands would also be collecting land rentals from investors and transmit what is due to the trusts. ENDS