25 Feb 2020

 Land allocation in Mogoditshane and the greater Gaborone extension area remains a hot subject for debate as land is as a scarce resource.

The issue is of complex nature according to Mogoditshane/Thamaga sub-council chairperson, Mr Ofentse Mafoko.

When opening the first session of the sub-council full sitting on Monday, Mr Mafoko  explained the cause of delay in land allocation at Mogoditshane Sub-land Board. The Sub-council chairperson stated that the reason why the waiting list was moving slowly was due  to competing demands and projects at the sub-land board. 

He said priority on land allocation was given to field owners who surrendered their fields at Gaborone expansion Area, Morope and other areas as well as their children who were allocated plots under the ‘Mpeela bana’ dispensation and those of Morope village. 

This he explained had resulted in non-movement of the waiting list since the above-mentioned groups were not part of the normal waiting list.

To buttress the point, Mr Mafoko said land holders around Mogoditshane wanted to be compensated in kind than being paid cash for their ploughing fields.

This financial year alone he cited that Mogoditshane Sub-land Board had planned to allocate 500 residential plots. 

However he said by the end of December 2019, the sub-land board had allocated about 626 plots out of which 486 residential plots which make up 78 per cent were compensation in-kind for the acquired fields.  Further, 102 of those plots which amounted to 16 per cent were allocated to Gaborone Expansion beneficiaries while only 38 residential plots (six per cent) were allocated to people on the waiting list.

This in a way Mafoko alluded deny many Batswana on the waiting list land ownership.

Further, he said currently Mogoditshane Sub-land Board was in possession of 560 applications dating as far as 1993 which were yet to be considered by the Board.

He said processing of the applications was delayed by shortage of land. 

In addition the sub-council chairperson said about 1300 applicants who were interviewed and approved for allocation in 2001 were waiting to be given plots.

Mr Mafoko has also explained that because land holders were reluctant to give away their ploughing fields, the land board had introduced a number of in-kind compensation models to attract field owners to surrender their fields to the land board. 

The first Model he said was the ‘Mpeela Bana’ special consideration.  The second model, the land owner was compensated with six residential plots irrespective of equity. 

Under the third model field sizes are grouped into a number of ranges according to size and the owner either opts for a number of residential plots or one business plot with a reduced number of residential plots.

The said compensation model is shown below.

0-4 Ha equals to six residential plots or one business plot and two residential plots.

4-5 Ha; 10 residential plots or one business plot and four residential plots

10-15 Ha; 14 residential plots or one business plot and 6 residential plots

15-25 Ha; 18 residential plots or one business plot and 8 residential plots

25 Ha and above 20 residential plots or one business plot and 10 residential plots.

Mr Mafoko however mentioned that the Statutory Instrument no.79 on Subdivision of ploughing fields to a minimum of one Ha had since been halted to align it to the above and the assessment was planned for completion end of February this year.

On other issues, the chairperson indicated that budget proposals for the sub district of over P114 million which was an  increase of 12 per cent from the previous budget proposals of over P100 million, the funds were far from covering the sub-district’s needs.

As a result,  he said the sub-district continued to face challenges of limited funding to cover basic needs such as refuse contracts, school supplies, and maintenance of roads, buildings and relief of destitute persons. 

He also stressed that the sub-district failed to generate its own funds although it was now common knowledge that Mogoditshane was an import vehicle special economic zone, a business opportunity the district had failed to capitalise on.

“The Sub-district has not done anything tangible yet to harness this competitive advantage,” he said.

He therefore proposed that the district should develop a local economic development strategy to manage the dynamics of Mogoditshane’s developments.

He  expressed his view that because the village was quickly assuming the urban status due to its dormitory position to the capital city, Mogoditshane should be declared a township. ENDS