20 Jul 2017

About 1 574 plots have been allocated to churches in tribal areas.

Assistant Minister of Lands, Water and Sanitation Services, Mr Itumeleng Moipisi said it was in accordance with information captured through the land registration exercise.

He noted that government has awarded 186 plots to churches to develop their worshiping centres. He said as development plans were produced, some plots were designated for civic and community use, adding that they could be used as worship centres.

Mr Moipisi, however, said it was dependent on land availability for expansion of settlements as well as planning considerations such as competing land use requirements and compatibility of land uses in each locality.

He said currently there was nothing specifically done to assist local churches that operated from homes because of scarcity of land and the ever increasing demand for land for worship and other uses. He said for the past five years, seven churches have been awarded plots in some urban areas with Jwaneng getting one, Selebi Phikwe one, Kasane two and Gaborone three plots.

Mr Moipisi said the initiative of worship enclaves would be piloted in Francistown. He further explained that churches were allocated plots on lease basis with the option to purchase at subsidised prices as and when they decided to do so.

He noted that the leasing was a deliberate policy to make acquisition of land by religious organisations affordable.

Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa had asked the minister to state how many churches had been awarded plots to develop their worshiping centres, and what was being done to address lack of worshiping space. He further wanted to know what was being done to assist local churches that operated from homes. BOPA