12 Aug 2018

The new Rakops Sub-land board offices will go a long way in making land services accessible to all customers under the area of coverage of Rakops, Vice President Mr Slumber Tsogwane has said.

Opening the Rakops Sub-land board office, he said the completion of the facilities had definitely addressed the problem of office space as the sub-land board once operated in a one roomed office and three roomed offices respectively.

The facilities completed are 12 offices, conference room, kitchen and four toilets and the works were contracted to a citizen owned company who delivered it within budget, with quality and schedule. The cost of the project was P3.4 million of which P173 200 was for office furniture. 

“The project also encompasses a gym room which is constructed through recurrent budget.

The gym is built within the premises to enable officers to keep fit as government appreciates that a healthy workforce is key to quality service delivery,” he said.

The Vice President cautioned the public against vandalism of government facilities saying it must be noted with great concern that it led to a large maintenance bill to government even before the planned cyclic maintenance was encountered.

He therefore appealed to the end-users to ensure that the facilities were kept conducive, not vandalised and remained as they were for the future generation.

Land boards he said were mandated to ensure the wise use, fair and distribution of land to all citizens as well as residents of Botswana in allocation of land for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural purposes.

“Land boards throughout the country have embarked on a massive exercise to register all the land in Botswana under Land Administration Procedures Capacity and Systems (LAPCAS)

which has represented a milestone in the efficient administration of land by computerizing each and every piece of land,” he said. 

The aim he said was to deal with land administration issues based on procedures, correct information on land parcels and information systems that could be maintained and supported in a sustainable way.

He urged all to register all the land allocated for improved land management in the country.

Furthermore the Vice President said government saw it fit to come up with a transformative agenda to enhance land utilisation.

Transformative agenda he said called for any opportunity that could be employed in a ploughing field alongside farming to ensure fair land utilization citing erection of a guest house.

In addition Ngwato Land Board chairperson Mr David Modisagape expressed concern that people failed to develop plots allocated.

Mr Modisagape said they had long allocated plots for 10 fuel stations alongside Maun road but they have not been developed.

He also stated that 666 farms were allocated in Ngwato land board coverage area but only 342 had been developed. Mr Modisagape said there was also shortage of surveyors in Ngwato land board. ENDS