22 Feb 2015

Land Administration, Procedure, Capacity building and Systems (LAPCAS) is on progress though few people are coming for registration and for collecting claims of ownership, Kweneng Land Board surveyor, Mr Boikgono Rapekenene has said.

Addressing school heads during a systematic land registration/adjudication consultative meeting, Mr Rapekenene said in Molepolole alone about 20 000 plots from an estimated 25 000 have been covered and surveyed, with around 5 000 plots still to be registered.

He encouraged plot owners to ensure that their plots were registered, surveyed, collect ownership claim forms, and lookout for public display of mapped plots to see if plots were  properly mapped.

Molepolole Sub-Land Board secretary, Mr Andrew Moipopi said land registration was critical in helping other government departments such as police, fire department and ambulances to have correct information to easily access and provide timely emergency assistance.

Mr Moipopi said land registration was an issue because land boards could not ascertain how much land they have, who owns what, where or for what purpose and that some land allocated by dikgosi during pre-land boards were also not recorded and as such there was a need for computerised land ownership. 

Kweneng Land Board deputy chairperson, Mr Vincent Sekano said even though people in some quarters still have some apprehension on LAPCAS objective, the project has so many benefits of land management and allocation.

Mr Sekano said they (land board) see schools as important partners in information dissemination because of pool of learners who could be engaged and could later easily pass message on land/plots registration to parents.

He allayed fears that LAPCAS was meant to repossess plots of people who own many plots and said in fact it was a land management project to enable land boards how many land has been allocated or remains, so as to make informed allocations in future because now they will be having knowledge of stock in their possession.

Mr Sekano said it was people who acquired land illegally who dislike LAPCAS and were now all out to bribe land board officials to prepare them certificates and documents required for LAPCAS registration. 

He said intern officers were vulnerable to corrupt practices, saying since last year, the land board lost five interns due to land related corruption. ENDS