22 Jun 2015

Minister of Lands and Housing, Mr Prince Maele says land authorities should avoid advertising land as it creates chaos.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Ramotswa recently, he revealed that he has advised land boards to revert to waiting lists. “If we maintain waiting lists and make them public, they will restore our credibility,” Mr Maele told the meeting.

The minister said Malete Land Board would have to make calls for a new waiting list as the current one had been manipulated and looked suspicious. He also disclosed that government was concerned about people who continued to sell their plots, and cautioned that under the proposed land policy, they would be severely punished.

He warned that a person who would sell a residential plot would have to wait for a minimum of 15 years before allocated a new plot. Minister Maele also warned that the government would not hesitate to repossess residential plots which have not been developed.

He advised those who had not developed their plots to develop structures on their land to avoid having their plots repossessed. Balete deputy royal, Kgosi Tsimane Mokgosi decried shortage of land in his tribal jurisdiction, which he said was compounded by lack of transparency at the Malete Land Board.

He added that some members of the tribe were calling for the dissolution of the existing board. He said they appreciate efforts such as the review of the land policy and introduction of a quota system.

During the comments and question session, Balete asked the government to also repossess undeveloped plots which have been allocated to public institutions.
Others decried that they were forced to live in extended families, as they do not have residential plots.

They said this also contributes to family conflicts. For his part, MP for the area, Mr Samuel Rantuana thanked the minister for having introduced a waiting list as opposed to land advertising. Ends