07 Dec 2015

Letlhakeng Sub-land board vice chairperson, Ms Tshoganetso Gabotlhanelo says they are concerned about the high number of land transfer cases being brought to their offices on a daily basis.

Speaking at a kgotla meeting in Letlhakeng recently, Ms Gabotlhanelo said this might be an indication that residents were underestimating the value of land and failing to see it as a potential form of wealth.

She noted that societies in developed countries use land as a way of conserving their wealth as its value was not stagnant, but appreciates over time.

She advised the public against selling land as they were depriving their children and future generation of their inheritance.

“Land is very important because you can use it to improve your standard of living by developing it and renting it out especially with government poverty eradication programmes like ISPAAD," she advised.

Ms Gabotlhanelo also advised residents to prepare for land the registration process by ensuring that they have plot certificates, lease agreements, title deeds as well as letters from bogosi that confirm ownership of land.

She said this would help smoothen the registration process when it starts. She said registration of land was important because it would reduce land conflicts as all land would be surveyed resulting in reduced boundary disputes.

She also said all registered plots would be given new plot numbers which would make easy identification and rapid response in case of emergencies such as robberies and house break-ins and reducing cases of obtaining by false pretence.

For his part, a member of the Letlhakeng Sub land board, Mr Power Segwagwa said the Ministry of Lands and Housing has undertaken a number of reforms in relation to land allocation such as sending application forms through the post rather than directly dropping them at the land board offices.

He said this change was undertaken to reduce congestion at land board offices. Mr Segwagwa also pointed out that for a person to be allocated a plot they should not own a plot anywhere in Botswana.

He also said the distance between boreholes for livestock has been reduced from the original eight kilometres to six kilometres because of an increased number of people who need boreholes while the distance from ploughing fields remains at three kilometres.

Mr Segwagwa cautioned residents against providing water for their livestock using boreholes meant for irrigation as it was illegal.

Giving his input, Kgosi Tumelo Puleng expressed gratitude at the Letlhakeng Sub land board for constantly updating the public about the changes undertaken.

He urged the youth to attend kgotla meetings as most issues discussed directly affect them and that kgotla meetings provide a platform to air their concerns to the relevant government departments as they were the ones struggling to own land.  ENDS