15 Feb 2016

The Ministry of Lands and Housing is working round the clock to ensure proper land management by undertaking land servicing and LAPCAS projects.

The land registration dubbed LAPCAS is being undertaken countrywide by surveying plots of different uses and issuing new certificates with security features.

The LAPCAS coordinator, Ms Joyce Wantlo said in an interview during the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) launch in Machaneng on Saturday that 306 585 plots have been surveyed so far.

She said the project was moving at a snails pace, but that since the national road shows and opening of registration points in all the land boards, the response was impressive because people were now able to register their plots in any land board nearer to them.

However, she said some people have not registered their plots or claimed their land rights thinking that the land board would repossess their plots.

She said LAPCAS was not meant to disadvantage anyone but was about improving land management so that the government knows who owns what and where

She said the project was expected to be completed by end of 2016, having started in 2009.

She said from 2009 to 2013 which she termed the first phase, her ministry undertook research, developed procedures and tested them for national implementation.

She said it was during that period that a pilot project was done at Matebele near Oodi resulting in the roll-out of the project to 12 land boards in 2012.

Residents of Machaneng took the opportunity during the ESP launch to register their plots.

Sefhare Sub-land board land surveyor, Mr Benson Ookeditse said LAPCAS has also been rolled out in Sefhare/Ramokgonami constituency.

He said the project started in Moshopha prior to the roll-out to other villages in the constituency and explained that 777 plots were registered of which 492 were claimed.

Mr Ookeditse further said the land board conducted inspections in the villages of Letoreng and Mathata where they inspected 284 and 524 plots respectively.

He said during inspections the land board checks plot certificates for every household prior to surveying, saying the exercise could be effective if plot owners were present during inspections.

He therefore urged the Tswapong community to put boundaries in their plots to make it easier for surveyors to carry out their job. Ends