15 Dec 2016

Amendments in the Electoral Act would require all eligible to vote to register their plots.  Only those whom their plots have been captured in the system would be allowed to register for the 2019 general elections.

This emerged during a stakeholder engagement workshop organised by Lentsweletau Sub-land Board recently.

Deliberating on issues of land registration, land board official Mr Neo Rakodu said the new Electoral Act required that for one to vote there should have registered their plots and that they should know their plot numbers since plot numbers would be required to facilitate the registration process.

Therefore, it was crucial that all stakeholders should engage with their communities to sensitise them on this matter and urge them to register their plots before the land registration process was completed.

Mr Rakodu also appealed to the stakeholders such as dikgosi, councillors and community leaders in their various positions to also encourage communities to demarcate their plots, sort out inheritance issues, develop their plots and assist the land board in identifying plot owners.

He also mentioned that land management processes were critical because what they did had a direct impact on other departments such as the Independent Electoral Commission since it was now a requirement that for the voting processes to be initiated, all residential plots should  be registered.

Not only that, land registration he said affected other processes such as infrastructural development and services.

Therefore, Mr Rakodu explained that the land registration exercise aimed at completing information on who owned what, where and for what purpose as well as certainty of ownership.

It also purposes to enable effective and efficient land administration for a successful socio-economic development of the nation.  

He further clarified that at the end of the exercise, they would have surveyed all plots across the country, registered all land rights.  Furthermore, by registering a plot, it improves its security of tenure and therefore the owner can use the certificate to borrow money from financial institutions.

Again, the exercise will help resolve current land problems and map all utilities and services such as water pipes electricity roads among others.  

It will also make unclaimed land available for allocation by the land board.  

Through this exercise each plot will be assigned a unique plot number.

On other issues, stakeholders were told that the land policy approved by parliament mid last year requires that every Motswana is eligible for one plot at a place of choice provided they do not own a plot.  

Also, it says that ownership of a plot, regardless of how it was acquired, disqualifies one from allocation and finally that low income groups should be allocated plots at subsidized rates.

Kgosi Moatlhodi Kgabo an ex-officio board member explained that they are concerned of rising cases of bribery among Dikgosi.  

He said that dikgosi should note that they are required to declare all gifts they receive from clients to the landboard authorities lest they find themselves in trouble.

Kgosi Kgabo also highlighted that even though Dikgosi were tasked to allocate land before the inception of the landboard in 1970, there are still cases today involving dikgosi in allocation of land. ENDS