29 Jun 2016

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Slumber Tsogwane, has told Orapa residents that their grievances on land ownership will form part of issues to be tabled in the next Parliament sitting.
Mr Tsogwane, who is also Boteti West MP, said during a kgotla meeting recently that MPs would debate the amendment on land ownership and if given a green light, the ‘one person one plot’ policy would be amended to allow for citizens to own a plot at their home villages and another in urban areas.
He said the move would also address complaints raised on allowing married couples to own separate plots.
“Let us just hope the MPs would give the amendments a green light,” said Mr Tsogwane.
However, he appealed to those failing to develop plots at stipulated times to report themselves to respective land boards for their problems to be addressed.
Some residents aired their grievances over the existing land policy, which they said outlawed married couples to own individual plots.
They thus requested government to allow married couples to own separate plots since marriages could not be guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Backed by Kgosi Christinah Moloi, residents argued that marriages were not guaranteed to last forever and in case of divorce one of the couples would be forced to retrace their steps to their extended families.
In driving their point home against the decision, residents argued that divorcees could not easily be welcomed at their parents’ home after spending years independent.
Some residents also complained at the duration taken for one to be allocated a residential plot saying it only benefitted the resourced few who could purchase plot upon losing their patience.
Some also appealed for leniency in plot repossession as a result of failure to develop within stipulated time.
As a solution, some residents suggested that the plot could be passed on to their children as inheritance.
On other issues, Mr Tsogwane said it was illegal for taxis and bus drivers to not complete routes.
As such, he encouraged his electorates to constantly report their dissatisfaction on buses and taxis at Letlhakane department of road transport and safety.
He said this in the wake of residents’ complaints that some buses from Gaborone did not complete their routes.
Residents alleged that upon realising that they would be ferrying a few individuals to Orapa from Letlhakane, some bus drivers would claim a break down and refund them an amount equivalent to a bus fare to Orapa. Residents claimed that the incidents were numerous and disturbing.
Residents also complained about taxi operators in Orapa. They said operators charged them P20 for a trip against the stipulated P4.
Acting station commander in Orapa, Superintendent Kebaitse Molefhe confirmed some allegations but could not ascertain the fares.
He also confirmed that DRTS officers were aware of the issues raised despite their non-committal response.
Even Kgosi Moloi charged that her office had constantly engaged with DRTS albeit to no avail. ENDS