19 Oct 2020

Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila, has called on land board members to pursue their obligation as expected in the management of land.

He said this when addressing new land board members in Palapye recently.

Minister Mzwinila said land boards had been charged with the responsibility of facilitating development in the country, through overseeing land allocation.

He stated that land board members’ obligation was to assist the ministry to facilitate job creation, investment and industrialisation.

Minister Mzwinila noted that his ministry’s other primary obligation included forging a foundation for economic diversification and infrastructural development.

One of the core objectives was to facilitate growth and development of the agricultural and tourism sector to make sure that adequate land was available.

He said his ministry was in the forefront in taking the country through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the Land Administration Process Capacity and Systems (LAPCAS).

Regarding the Land Information System, he said the system was being reformed from a manual to a technology system to expedite allocation processes and have an up to date data base.

The minister said the ministry was also in the forefront of the economic recovery plan of the impact of COVID-19 through provision of water services.

The minister called on members to avoid any corruption activities when discharging their duties.

For her part, Kgosi Martha Lebang acknowledged the ministry for orientating new members.

She called on land board members to always work hand in hand with tribal authorities on tribal land disputes.

Kgosi Lebang also noted that stakeholders should be taken on board regarding land issues.

She commended the ministry for introducing the LAPCAS programme, noting that the move would enhance land administration, registration and allocation processes.

For their apart, land board members noted that allocation of land took long because the procedures involved called for land to be serviced before allocation.

They said with limited financial resources, such allocation ended up delaying.
In this regard, they proposed that two waiting lists be setup for people willing to wait for serviced land and those who choose to be allocated non-serviced land.

They said the move would expedite allocation of land rather than people waiting many years to have a piece of land or plot in their name. ENDS