09 Apr 2015

Gabane-Mmankgodi MP, Major General Pius Mokgware says land allocation remains a disturbing trend. 

Contributing to the on-going debate of the Botswana Land Policy in Parliament, Maj. Gen. Mokgware said his area was inundated with corrupt practices with regard to allocation of land. 

He said over 140 000 people were on the waiting list with some applications having been submitted to the land board as far back as 1993.  He said youth were the hardest hit and the MP explained that the current policy does not address youth challenges.

Maj. Gen. Mokgware said the policy was not addressing compensation to repossessed land hence people were not willing to offer their land to government.  Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso, applauded the minister for presenting the policy saying it was long overdue.

Ms Tshireletso, howeve,r said there was need to adjust some provisions.  She said the delays in land allocation could be a result of involving different stakeholders as far as service provision was concerned. 

Ms Tshireletso, who is also MP for Mahalapye East suggested that Batswana especially youth be provided with housing units such as apartments to curb alarming rates of lack of land.

She said the policy should be gender sensitive and not discriminate against married couples by striking off the list those who had been on the waiting list by the time they are married. Tati West MP Biggie Butale said the policy was a welcome development that would coordinate and streamline conflicting matters in land issues. 

He said it would benefit regions like Masunga which had been declared a planning area but had been waiting for such a policy to be adopted by Parliament. 

He pleaded with the minister that as they consider future land allocations they look at affirmative action and also have indigenous Batswana get an edge over concessions especially land.  Mr Butale said sometimes for one’s own survival you need to discriminate advising the minister to be very stringent to locals when allocating. 

Tlokweng MP Ms Same Bathobakae pleaded with the minister to consider indigenous communities when dealing with the quota system for allocation.  She said the minister must also introduce the waiting list for Tlokweng as the current system of raffles was not effective and had issues before court of laws. 

She pleaded for special dispensation for youth especially those with disability.  Ms Bathobakae asked the minister to reconsider plot repossession as people were given very little time to develop their plots. 

She also called for the protection of married couples who were denied plots on condition that their spouses had been allocated plots before.  She welcomed the idea of sectorial title deeds.

The policy presented by the Minister of Lands and Housing Mr Prince Maele was initially tabled before Parliament in 2013 and was deferred to another sitting as it was not conclusively debated due to time constraints. ENDS