14 Sep 2015

The Seronga Sub Land Board has recommended that the ploughing fields at Red Cliff be relocated to retain the site for the benefit of communities. 

Briefing lands and housing minister at Seronga recently, the sub land board chairperson, Ms Reamogetse Yakenge said fields at Red cliff would be relocated and owners compensated with a view to retain the site for the communities.

She said the site has been a subject of great interest to many people who want land for tourist related commercial ventures, disputes involving double dealings; plot self-extensions and plot encroachments.

Ms Yakenge said Red Cliff known as Whethamuyumi in Hambukushu meaning ‘go ikanamotshidi’ is a place between Ngarange and Mogotlho so the community believes that the place was of their forefathers where the channels meet and there was a wall which was a habitat for red species birds.

She said the community also believes that the area should be preserved for cultural activities which would benefit the community. She said her board recommended to the main land board that the existing fields should be repossessed as the owners were proposing different uses which were not compatible with the land use.  

The sub land board also, she said, recommended that Red Cliff must be re-zoned and a plan designed for activities that would benefit the communities. 

She said the board was currently not accepting applications until the issue has been concluded.

Regarding squatting, she said it was a serious problem in the area as the community initially settled in the form of cattle posts or ploughing fields in order to protect themselves from wild animals, and that eventually turned into permanent homesteads. She said squatting has since turned the relationship between the community and the sub land board. 

Ms Yakenge said during the squatter profiling exercise the community in Gowa and Kauxwi perceived it as harassment and only areas in Jungwe, Xhau and Sechenje were profiled.

Furthermore, she said the sub land board no longer practices haphazard allocation and it was implementing systematic land adjudication.

She explained that some communities especially Basarwa in Gudigwa were reluctant to accept allocations on planned layout because they prefer to live in clans with their leader and next to their relatives as they feel the layout would destroy their cultural values.

Ms Yakenge said since 2012/13 to 2014/15 financial year, they have managed to allocate 745 residential plots, 352 commercial plots and issue 898 certificates.

However, she said because allocation of tourism related activities has been suspended since 2006, communities would like to know when they would be advertised as they were informed that the sites would be identified and advertised to potential developers.

Shakawe Sub Land-board chairperson, Ms Kukumbera Morotsi informed the minister that her sub land board was owed over P1 million for leases.

Furthermore, she said they do not have a lease committee that could go around collecting revenue from those who owe. Area MP, Mr Bagalatia Arone stressed the need of strengthening consultation and cooperation between the community and local authorities to smoothen land issues. Ends