16 Jul 2019

The proposed amendments on the land use policy has generated a lot of excitement for land owners mostly who own ploughing fields or farms.

The amendment on the land use policy allows for 50 per cent  use on the farm and 50 per cent for ploughing.

 Following the pronouncement, many farm owners have rushed to develop their farms although the guidelines on the policy have not yet been finalised and adopted.

It is now common to see lodge structures, farm houses, event facilities and other developments sprouting in the farms and ploughing fields.  

Member of Kweneng Land Board and also Chairperson of Thamaga sub landboard  Mr Fredrick Malebye raised this concern at the Land Board’s July sitting recently.

Mr Malebye asked the main land board chairman Mr Moemedi Babitseng to update the house on the status of the proposed new policy. “What point are we at concerning this proposed amendments, can people go ahead with developments at their farms?”

He further wanted to know why people were busy developing their farms at an alarming rate without the guidelines in place.

With developments taking place at this rate he asked the land board chairperson whether the land board has powers to stop them.  

Given the situation, he said the land board needed to address these concerns as a matter of urgency.

Meanwhile, Mr Malebye also requested the land board to hasten to allocate plots to Mmankgodi residents because the land was readily available for allocation since the layout had been approved.

Meanwhile, Mr Dikatso Molatlhegi also a board member has cautioned the land board about developments taking place at Metsimotlhabe block 4 in the absence of infrastructural design presented to the land board. 

He said he foresees challenges especially during the rainy season if the matter was not resolved promptly.

Responding to the concerns, Mr Babitseng said the board would address the challenges in a month.

Commenting on the land use policy, board secretary Ms Ikgopoleng Shabani said the land board was waiting to be furnished with the guidelines before they could implement anything. 

She said,applications for change of land use would be assessed basing on their merits following normal procedure as was the case until the amendment process on the proposed policy was completed. Ends