13 Mar 2016

Parliament has been informed that all officers working at land boards are public officers employed under the provisions of the Public Service Act of 2008.

The Minister of Lands and Housing, Mr Prince Maele said the public officers are not seconded to the tribes but rather they have been deployed to the land boards and are governed by the conditions of service applicable under the Public Service of 2008.

Mr Maele said he is aware that some main land boards carry tribal names and logos that depict the totem of those tribes.

“The Tribal Land Act established land boards as corporate bodies under the ministry responsible for lands and although these institutions are vested with authority to manage tribal land, they are essentially public institutions and therefore are owned by government,” said Minister Maele.

He indicated that during the pre land board era, the management and administration of tribal land was arranged along tribal territories boundaries.

Minister Maele said each Kgosi was responsible for allocating land under his/her jurisdiction to members of his/her tribe.

“Following the promulgation of the Tribal Land Act, tribal land was vested in the land boards along tribal territories boundaries and therefore the land boards conformed to the features of the tribes they were serving,” he said, adding that the existence of tribal names in respect of land boards has never acted as an impediment for land allocation in Botswana.

The minister said the logos of land boards are a part of the country’s historical heritage and their existence does not in any way affect the behavioural patterns and actions of land boards when it comes to performance of their functions but rather only dictate the areas of operation.

“The land boards that carry names with tribal names and totem include Tlokweng, Ngwato, Tawana, Ngwaketse, Kweneng, Kgatleng, Rolong and Malete,” said Minister Maele, also indicating that the system of existence of names with tribal connotation does not encourage tribalism.

He said it is fundamentally critical to note that although those still use the logos with tribal totems, land allocation and management is not done along tribal lines.

Minister Maele further said there are no plans to abolish the system because for all practical purposes it does not retard developmental efforts in the country and also Batswana view it as an important aspect of their history and cultural heritage.

Member of Parliament for Boteti East, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe had asked the minister if he is aware that certain main land boards carry tribal names and logos that depict the totem of those tribes. 

He also wanted to know who owns land boards between government  and ethnic groups. ENDS