16 Jun 2013

Ngwato Land Board has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BotswanaPost for collection of over P25 million lease rental arrears across the country.

The lease rental arrears were monies owed by people who were allocated business plots, agricultural projects, ranches, tourism related businesses and civic and community plots by the land board. 

Ngwato Land Board acting board secretary, Mr Otsile Ditiro signed on behalf of the land board while BotswanaPost chief executive officer (CEO) Mr Pele Moleta represented the postal services. The partnership would effect on July 1.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Ditiro said the land board had not done well in revenue collection in that only a few people came forward to pay. He said those payments constituted a small percentage of the total money due to the land board.

He explained that at the start of the 2012/13 financial year, the land board was owed over P25 million as lease rentals. The amount included P11 million from past years’ arrears and P14 million as current year rentals.

He said as at close of the year, the land board had only managed to collect over P17 million, which was made of over P6 million being arrears and over P10 million as current year rentals.

Mr Ditiro further explained that some of the reasons for poor collection included shortage of personnel and limited paid points, which resulted in the land board losing money that could have been paid.

Therefore, the land board approached BotswanaPost for assistance in the collection and the company was chosen for its strategic location in the country. He said the partnership would allow Batswana to pay their lease rentals at post offices and agencies near them without having to travel to Central District to make payments at the main land board or sub-land boards.

Mr Ditiro said the decision was reached after realising that a good number of Ngwato land board debtors did not reside in the Central District only.

For his part, Mr Moleta said BotswanaPost with a network of 123 post offices around the country, Ngwato Land Board customers would no longer have to travel to Serowe to make payments.

He said the new partnership was thus focused on the customer’s convenience, accessibility, efficiency and service delivery.  He explained that the land board was owed a lot of money and applauded the local authority to have seen it fit to engage BotswanaPost to assist in collecting the arrears.

He added that all their post offices across the country were integrated with technology adding that in the Central District alone, BotswanaPost had 40 post offices and agencies. He also explained that BotswanaPost had e-shopping portal dubbed Posopay, which sped up the adoption of Internet-based services by the public.

Mr Moleta said the Posopay gave the company an opportunity to provide its customers with a 24/7 service access to Botswana markets in a convenient and reliable way adding that with Posopay, Batswana could access a variety of products. ENDS