10 Mar 2016

Some legislators decried delays in land allocations when debating the Ministry of Lands and Housing’s 2016/17 budget proposals.

The MPs complained about the duration that some land boards took to allocate land with Mmathethe-Molapowabojang MP, Dr Alfred Madigele appealing to the minister to do something about land allocation in Molapowabojang, which he said was last done 14 years ago.

Dr Madigele said shelter was one of the four necessities that every human being needed in life.

He, however, commended the ministry for initiatives such as the Installment Purchase Scheme, Turnkey programme and SHHA, which had potential to make a difference.

Member of Parliament for Mogoditshane, Mr Sedirwa Kgoroba, shared the same concern of delayed land allocation in Mogoditshane, noting that people had waiting for 23 years.

Mr Kgoroba also highlighted the issue of the spaces that had been left unoccupied, saying when the programme of filling up such spaces begins in the future, potential applicants should strictly be the residents of Mogoditshane area.

The Mogoditshane MP also said it was important that update on backlog be availed every now and then.

Another issue was that of business plots especially in tourist attraction areas such as Ngamiland about which Okavango MP, Mr Bagalatia Arone said the decision by the lands ministry to convert tribal land in Ngamiland into state land did not go down well with communities in the area because there was never any consultation.

He added that the conversion of tribal land disadvantaged indigenous people in that area because they could not access such land as Botswana Tourism Organisation had it up for tendering.

“That is a technical way of shutting out the communities in Ngamiland from attaining land for tourism purposes,” said Mr Arone. 

He therefore suggested that specific land policies be designed for specific areas, such as Kgalagadi and Ngamiland.

The Okavango MP further said it would be wiser if the Ministry of Lands and Housing could come up with a land administrative strategy, which would define activities found in different areas. Ends