15 Mar 2020

 Central District councillors have blamed the suspension and the delay in allocation of plots for mushrooming of squatters.

When commenting on the chairperson’s speech during the full council meeting in Serowe recently, councillors said illegal land settlement continues to be a problem, especially in the Central District, because land boards had halted allocating residential plots.

Most councillors urged the land board leadership to guard against proliferation of squatters, saying squatting had repercussions on planning processes and district resources.

Mmutlane/Bonwapitse councillor, Mr Otule Segolame said people’s interest was to be allocated plots as soon as possible, to continue improving their daily lives.

He said the Ngwato Land Board and its sub land boards had been slow in allocating plots over a long period of time, adding that he did not believe the notion of shortage of land as alluded to by land board authorities.

Botswana, he said, had a small population and abundance of land, arguing that timely plot allocations would surely reduce the escalating illegal squatting. 

Councillors said the ministry had given the land board  chairpersons all the powers, expressing a concern that some of the land boards did not treat the issue of waiting lists or backlog of plot allocation with the seriousness it deserved.

On other issues, most councillors queried the delay in maintaining school buildings, saying almost all classrooms were dilapidated, which they said contributed to poor results.

Councillor for Motetshwane ward in Serowe, Mr Robert Mariba decried the shortage of blankets at Sekgoma Referral Hospital and the poor state of its buildings.

Councillor Mariba said shortage of medicine was also a concern, adding that patients were sometimes sent to private pharmacies to buy medicine.   

Councillors also expressed concern about shortage of staff accommodation in various villages of the Central District, with most roads being impassible, some with      potholes, while it took a long time for some to be graded.

They urged the council to do something about the high unemployment rate in the district. Ends