09 Aug 2017

Parliament has adopted the bill which seeks to amend the Deeds Registry Act, with the view to enhancing efficient, effective and transparent land administration.

After a debate on the bill on Monday (Aug 7), MPs voted in favour of the proposed amendments, the objective of which included addressing the challenges faced in the implementation of the current Act.

When debating the bill earlier, Mahalapye East MP, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso said the bill was a step in the right direction as it sought to protect the rights of women in particular.

Ms Tshireletso said women often faced challenges when trying to transfer property to their names after the death of their husbands.

She said generally women were at the receiving end of land-related laws.

She cited the prevailing situation where husbands cold dispose of immovable property without the consent of their wives, commending the proposed amendment that would address the anomaly.

The MP also expressed concern at the length of time people wait before they could be allocated plots.

She urged the minister responsible to consider bringing a bill that would address that to Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, and MP for Gaborone South Mr Kagiso Molatlhegi also welcomed the bill saying it would bring wealth to Batswana.

He said once in possession of title deeds Batswana would be able to get financial aid from financial institutions as they would be able to use their pieces of land as collateral.

Mr Molatlhegi also noted that it was good that services of conveyancers would no longer be required for one to register for a title deed.

He expressed contentment that spouses would no longer be able to dispose of property without each other’s consent.

MP for Gabane-Mmankgodi Major General Pius Mokgware also welcomed the bill saying it would protect the rights of many people particularly those of women.

He said the tendency by some men to sell land without involving their wives was bad and thus needed to be stopped.

Maj. Gen Mokgware stated also that removing conveyancers from the deeds registration process was a welcome development as the service was too costly.

Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa said while the bill was good, it was important to not ignore the potential negative effects that it could have on the lives of Batswana.

Mr Nkaigwa said the bill could result in Batswana becoming more impoverished as some might fail to honour payment agreements and consequently lose their land after having used it as collateral.

He said at the moment some Batswana owed funding institutions such as CEDA, noting therefore that the bill was akin to opening more avenues through which people could lose their property.

Contributing to the same debate, MP Dikgang Makgalemele of Shoshong said the bill sought to strengthen the economy of locals as it reduced the costs of validating land ownership and made easier the process of transferring pieces of land.

Mr Makgalemele, who is also the Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, noted that it was crucial that Batswana be taught the importance of adhering to payments agreements when they had put up their land as collateral to avoid losing.

MP Kostantinos Markus of Maun East said people’s lives would improve greatly as a result of the bill.

He said easing the process of obtaining a title deed was a commendable thing that would benefit Batswana a lot.

Mr Markus however noted with concern that in cattle posts people were only allocated water points and not residential plots.

He appealed for government to consider allocating people residential plots at cattle posts and issuing them with title deeds so that they too could be able to better their lives.

The legislator also decried the slow pace of land allocations, attributing the mushrooming of squatter camps to the delays in allocating people land.

Takatokwane MP, Mr Ngaka Ngaka, who also supported the bill, said it appeared that service rendered by land boards was not uniform.

Mr Ngaka observed that it was apparent that each land board operated on its own set of regulations that were not applicable to other land boards.

MP Samuel Rantuana of Ramotswa said Batswana should be taught about the dangers of being in possession of a certificate that permitted one to use their land as collateral.

He said the issue of having access to loans through title deeds should not be touted as it could lead to Batswana being tempted to borrow money and in the end lose their land as a result of failure to service the said loans.

MP Shawn Ntlhaile pointed out that women had for long been disadvantaged on land issues when their husbands passed on, noting that the proposed amendments would put an end to that.

The Jwaneng-Mabutsane MP on the one hand said the bill would plunge Batswana deeper into poverty.

He said Batswana were heavily indebted, and that the bill would worsen their situation as they would lose the only valuable asset they had. ENDS