24 Jun 2015

The on-going national land registration project will be completed by 2016- during which 85 per cent of the plots, country-wide, should be covered, the Ministry of Lands and Housing principal public relations officer, Ms Chandapiwa Baputaki, has said.

Responding to a questionnaire on the progress and challenges in implementing the on-going national land registration project country-wide, Ms Baputaki said land registration project began in 2009 as a pilot project in Matebele.

The project, she said, was later rolled out to the entire country in 2013 through land boards in an effort to improve efficiency, effectiveness and transparency in land administration in Botswana.

The on-going national land registration project, Ms Baputaki said, was being implemented country-wide as part of a wider Land Administration, Processes, Capacity and Systems project (LAPCAS), which was funded by a combination of donor funds at different times.  The original budget for the whole project was a total of P55 million.

The LAPCAS project, she said had several components, which include the development of a new unique plot numbering system to facilitate a land information system, national land registration exercise to clearly capture information on who owns what piece of land and where in order to improve record management at land authorities and system of location address to be used in different settlements in the country.

Therefore, through the national land registration component, she said the government wanted Land Boards to know which land had been allocated, to whom it had been allocated to and for what purposes, so that land that had not been allocated could be identified for future allocations. 

This national land registration project, clearly captures information on who owns what piece of land and where in order to improve record management at land authorities and the project was set up to improve land management in the country. Ms Baputaki said had been completed in over 75 villages across the country. 

So far, she said 90, 607 plot owners had came forward to verify their plot ownership. “The new certificate that will be given out after the Board has verified the land rights is being finalized by government.

Sorting of records is being done to improve service delivery and so far over 889 000 individual plot files have been opened in tribal areas across the country,” she added.

Despite these achievements, MS Baputaki said the following challenges had been experienced in implementing the national land registration project nation-wide; combination of office routine work with systematic land registration, low turn up of claims, reluctance of plot owners (voluntary registration), owners residing far from implementation areas, no legal framework for compulsory land registration, plot measurements at variance with allocated measurements, inadequate resources and unauthorized sub divisions. 

To date, Lands and Housing principal public relations officer said the national land registration project was being finalised in; Mogoditshane Sub Land Board, Matsiloje village under Tati Land Board and Macheng villages under Hukuntsi Sub Land Board. 

Additionally, she said surveying had also been completed in over 75 villages, as follows;Kweneng Land Board: Mogoditshane, Metsimotlhabe, Mmopane, Gabane, Mmokolodi, Tloaneng, Lephepe, Boatlaname, Sojwe, Loologane, Ngware, Shadishadi, Diphuduhudu, Maboane, Takatokwane, Dutlwe, Tshwaane, Khekhenye, Tsetseng and Motokwe.Rolong Land Board: Goodhope, Bethele, Dinatshana, Kgoro, Malokaganyane, PitsanePhotlokwe, Tlhareseleele, Pitsane, Rakhuna, Metlojane,Mogobewakgomo, Mogwalale and Cwaanyaneng. Malete Land Board: Mogobane, Otse, Taung and Ramotswa. Tlokweng Land Board: TlokwengGantsi Land Board: Charleshill, Chobokwane, New Xanagas, Qabo, Karakubis, East Hanahai, Grootlaagte, Kacgae, Tsootsha, New Xade and West Hanahai.Chobe Land Board: Kazungula, Lesoma, Pandamatenga, Mabele, Kavimba, Kachikau, Satau and Parakarungu. Tati Land Board: Masunga, Matshelagabedi, Tsamaya and Tatisiding. Kgatleng Land Board: Mochudi, Oodi, Matebeleng, Ramonaka and Mathubudukwane.Ngwaketsi Land Board: Moshupa, Sese and Moshana.

Tawana Land Board: Maun and Sehitlhwa.Ngwato Land Board: Serowe, Palapye and Mahalapye.Kgalagadi Land Board: Tshane, Lokgwabe, Lehututu and Hukuntsi.

Currently, Ms Baputaki said plot owners were expected to be coming forth to register their surveyed plots. The system of location addresses was developed by  BotswanaPost and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to be used in different settlement patterns in Botswana. 

These location addresses are meant to facilitate the ease of doing business in Botswana and have already been piloted in Gaborone Block 7, now Ditimamodimo and 8, now Marapoathutlwa and in Matsiloje and Tshane villages in tribal areas. 

Furthermore, to cater for unique numbering system and location, Ms Baputaki said Upgrading of Cadastral Information System was ongoing adding that renumbering of tribal land grants, freeholds and ranches was also being done in furtherance of this exercise. ENDS