03 Oct 2016

Tawana Land Board has come up with an initiative to monitor illegal land occupants, board attorney, Mr Tobokani Chilume has said.
Mr Chilume said the illegal occupants included those who used the land for residential, boreholes for livestock, plaughing fields, horticultural gardens especially near rivers and cemeteries.
Mr Chilume said residential illegal settlers were prevalent, especially in Maun and its precincts.
He was speaking at the and board stakeholders meeting recently.
Mr Chilume said the land board had implemented ways to address the issue of illegal settlers.
Tawana Land Board, he said, found out the number of illegal occupants, interviewed them to establish their reasons and advised them to apply for plots and to vacate the illegal ones.
Mr Chilume said some illegal settlers heeded the land board’s recommendations while others failed to comply.
The latter were normally evicted through court orders.
He pointed out that illegal settlements hampered proper administration of land, therefore advised people to desist from such.Mr Chilume said the land board had identified about 942 illegal settlements so far in such places as Moeti ward, Botshabelo, Shashe, Boseja, Sexaxa and a few in Gumare.
When commenting, the land board chairperson, Mr Kutjavetira Mauano said the modern illegal settlers were organised and colluded with the board members at a high level.
He therefore pointed out the need to come up with appropriate measures to address such.
Mr Mauano said illegal occupants and unpaid lease rentals were some of the issues that challenged operations of the land board and as such requested stakeholders input in addressing the challenges.
Ngamiland Council of Non Governmental Organisations chairperson, Mr Monametsi Sokwe encouraged the land board to partner with other organisations to sensitise the public about the value of land among other things. ENDS