11 Feb 2019

Legislators have raised mixed reactions towards a motion by Ramotswa Member of Parliament, Mr Samuel Rantuana seeking Parliament to request government to carry out land audit as the current Land Administration Procedures Capacity and System (LAPCAS) is not addressing the issue of long waiting lists of plot allocation.

Mochudi East legislator, Mr Moagi Molebatsi supported the motion indicating that a land audit was necessary as it would remedy the land allocation backlog that the country was currently faced with.

He said it was unacceptable that Batswana were made to wait for a long period to be allocated land despite the country boasting vast areas of freehold land.

The LAPCAS system, he said had failed to address the shortage of land crisis as the waiting list data base at many land boards across the country were staggering, particularly in the Greater Gaborone area.

Mr Molebatsi discredited the land boards allocation systems, saying the country’s land management was better off while under the Bogosi authority as dikgosi promptly responded to land allocation requests.

Nata/Gweta Member of Parliament, Mr Polson Majaga  also applauded the motion, but questioned the timing of the motion presentation, stating that government had recently embarked on the LAPCAS programme, which was yet to be reviewed.

Mr Majaga highlighted that the majority of his constituents were deprived of land ownership since the land around Nata, Gweta, Mapaso and Sepako was state land and there was no communal land readily available.

He therefore pleaded with the ministry of lands to speed up the LAPCAS reviews before opting for the land audit process.

In his contribution, Gaborone North Member of Parliament, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa stated that there was need for government to carry out land audit as the current land allocation system only favoured the few elites, who at times acquired  land through corrupt acts.

He stated that the land audit would uncover how some prominent and elite members of the community had acquired the many chunks of land.

Mr Nkaigwa said the LAPCAS exercise was just an administrative exercise of data collection compared to what the motion was seeking, adding that the motion would uncover corrupt and criminal practices in land allocation processes and would come up with proper recommendations for efficient land management.

When contributing to the debate, Boteti West MP, Mr Slumber Tsogwane indicated that the motion was redundant as it would be a duplicate of the LAPCAS programme.

He said LAPCAS had components that would help government attain efficient land management and administration.

Mr Tsogwane said LAPCAS was not meant to address the long waiting lists, but to capture data for efficient land management and planning.

Specially elected MP, Dr Unity Dow stated that the motion was irrelevant as land audit would not address the long waiting list crisis at hand.

She indicated that government was faced with challenges such as finding readily available land for development, as it was difficult to negotiate with landowners.

Dr Dow said for a land audit to be conducted, there should be readily available data in place, which was what the LAPCAS was seeking to attain.

She therefore pleaded with Batswana to refrain from applying for land only for them to later sell it. ENDS