07 Jul 2015

Members of Parliament have resumed debate on the Botswana Land Policy motion that was deferred in the last sitting.

The proposed policy would seek to protect and promote land rights of all landholders and promote sustainable human settlements and improve land allocation through establishing an up to date land information management system.

The country’s land management is facing a lot of challenges, such as; shortage of land for settlement expansion, numerous transfers and ultimate sale of land and speculation, where people get allocated land but illegally transfer it to buyers before being developed.

Therefore, the policy proposes that every Motswana be eligible for one plot in the country, that land be repossessed where there would be evidence of mismanagement, for the establishment of land authorities to transform and professionalise land boards and other land administration authorities.

Also, the policy proposes that measures be put in place to access housing without necessarily owning a plot.

By the end of parliament business, on Monday, all the seven MPs who contributed to the debate shared the same sentiments in their support for the motion, that the policy was long overdue.

Mmadinare MP, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila, Nkange MP, Mr Edwin Batshu, Bobonong MP, Mr Shaw Kgathi, Serowe South MP, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, Maun East MP, Mr Kostantinos Markus and Tati East MP, Mr Guma Moyo and Letlhakane-Lephephe MP, Mr Liakat Kablay supported the proposed policy

Debating the motion, Mmadinare MP, Mr Mzwinila said his reservations with the proposed Land Policy were in terms of livestock watering points being six kilometres apart.

Therefore, he asked Minister of Lands and Housing, Mr Prince Maele, in his consideration in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, to see whether the livestock watering points could be reduced from six kilometres to three kilometres, if the range assessment permits.

The other issue, Mmadinare MP said was with regard to married persons being allowed only a single plot.

In some cases, he said people married in community of property might not be married permanently.

In that regard, Mr Mzwinila said allowing them a single plot would deny them their intrinsic right of owning their own residential plot.

Nkange MP, Mr Batshu said the Land Policy comes at a time where there had already been a lot of mismanagement of land, through various corrupt practices.

Therefore, he expressed concern that, once adopted, it might even be too late for the policy to help address the many challenges of mismanagement of land facing the country.

Although, he acknowledged that some people acquired lots of plot through private markets, Mr Batshu said the minister should ensure that there was a limit to the number of plots that a person could own through buying them.

Mr Kgathi also shared the same sentiments that the policy was long overdue, adding that land was a finite resource, “but has been rendered useless due to polluting as it was not well utilised.”

Bobonong MP said residential plots should not be allocated on land conducive and fertile enough for farming.

He urged the minister to ensure that land was divided into special purposes, “let it be clear which land is reserved for civic and community use. It should not be easy to acquire a plot for a bar than for churches,” he said.

For example, Mr Kgathi said land in Bobirwa was fertile and the areas had lot of water.

Therefore, he said the Bobirwa area could be demarcated for an agricultural hub or horticultural hub. Distance between boreholes, he said should be determined by the level of water underground and advised the minister to engage water resource experts, to ensure that the distances were varied from one area to the other.

Serowe South MP, Dr Venson-Moitoi stressed that it was never government’s intention for any Motswana to not own a piece of land in Botswana.

She said it was a worrying concern that some people were deliberately denying others their right and opportunity of owning a plot by enticing them with money to sell them.
The practice, Dr Venson-Moitoi said should be totally discouraged.

She said there should be a limit to the number of plots that a person should own, regardless of whether they bought them.

She said people should not be allowed to carry on enriching themselves through buying and selling residential plots after acquiring them for free, adding that only people registered for commercial development of residential or land developers could do so. Ends