17 Jul 2019

Residents of Khwai village in the North West district have welcomed the amendment of the Land Bank Policy which reverses some features of the policy.

The residents made observations during a Kgotla meeting addressed by the Minister for Environment, Tourism and Natural Resources Conservation Mr Kitso Mokaila recently.

The Land Bank Policy which was introduced in 2014 aimed to reserve some land for tourism operations.

Nonetheless some aspects of the policy irked Community Trusts.

One Khwai resident Mr Patrick July appreciated that the Land Bank policy would be managed by the land board as was done previously instead of the Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Natural Resources Conservation.

Mr July said the policy had caused a loss for the Khwai community.

He said Khwai Community Trust was saddened by lease agreement regarding Tsaro Lodge in one of their concession areas.

He said the agreement for the concession area was done without the consent of their community trust since the Land Bank Policy rendered them powerless.

Mr July said the Khwai Community Development Trust had lost funds in the process and had since took the matter to court.

Another resident, Mr July Sango requested the Minister of Environment Tourism and Natural Resources Conservation to audit all concession areas’ lease agreements done in the past three years and to take to task those involved in awarding illegal tourism operations.

Mr Sango also said the minister should consider lifting the suspension of some tourism licenses and review of management plan on concession areas which he said were conducted by biased people.

A youth, Mr Tina Tameti said thanked the minister for developments such as hunting ban lifting and a move to give locals an opportunity to have a fair share in the tourism industry.

Mr Tameti however called for the review of the decision to  suspend some tourism licenses since it negatively impacted small tourism operators such as those operating canoe drives.

He said the suspension had taken long to be reviewed.

Minister Mokaila had earlier explained that issues of land in the concession areas would be managed by the land boards with effect from July 7, 2019 which was a change in the Land Bank Policy.

Mr Mokaila said the Land Bank Policy was meant to reserve land for tourism operations to be availed when needed.

He therefore said the new development would allow the community trusts to have an agreement with investors through facilitation by Botswana Tourism.

An official from Botswana Tourism, Ms Bigani Setume said the land bank review would ensure that the Khwai Community Development Trust would have a cordial relationship with the Tsaro Lodge investor and receive all benefits. ENDS