08 Aug 2019

A high number of squatters are reported to be invading villages in the Tutume Sub-District.

Tutume Sub-land Board official, Ms Keneilwe Nkhwa, said this when briefing District Development Committee (DDC) meeting in Tutume on August 7.

Ms Nkhwa highlighted that sub-land boards of Marapong, Nata and Tutume had recorded a number of people who relocated from cattle-posts and lands to illegally occupy land.

She pointed out that some time last year, the board profiled a number of squatters in Tutume and they were later allocated residential plots. 

She, nonetheless, noted that to their surprise, another group had since moved in around the same area trespassing on land that was not theirs.

This, Ms Nkhwa said, was worrisome because their research and reports had received indicates that the situation was getting out of hand, adding that a total of 150 squatters was recorded in Jamataka alone in the first quarter of the 2019-2020 financial year.

She, however, noted that squatters profiled in May would be in a report to be presented to Marapong Sub-land Board next month.

Ms Nkhwa nonetheless appealed for intervention from the office of the deputy district commissioner in Tutume, adding that they had since received reports and record of squatters in Kutamogoree, Lepashe, Manxotae and Maitengwe.

She asserted that the situation was likely to spread beyond such villages across the sub-district.

She pointed out that the sub-land boards had set a timeframe of 12 months beginning April 1 this year until end of the financial year to have prepared layouts of  Changate, Gweta, Manxotae, Makuta, Matobo, Maposa, Senete and Tsokatshaa.

In addition, she stated that layouts for Tutume, which has 441 residential plots, Dagwi with 896 plots and Goshwe which had 410 residential plots as well as Senete with 250 ploughing fields were presented to the board last month and will be subsequently presented to other structures for approval.

She therefore appealed to DDC to support the land authority on the situation of squatters and implored to Batswana to wait for proper allocation rather to take matter on their own hands. ENDS