01 Nov 2020

Mababe Zokotshama Development Trust board members have expressed frustration over  delay to facilitate renewal of leases and allocate residential plots in  Mababe.

Members said they had long requested extension of their expired leases, but nothing happened.

They complained that the delay had paralyzed their operations since there was no source of generating revenue.

They aired their concern during a meeting addressed by Maun East MP, Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile orecently.

The board members said all their campsites and a lodge in NG41 were not operational because they had long waited for renewal of leases.

It was reported that members of the community were all eyeing Ipelegeng programme to make a living.

Members stated that their efforts to engage the relevant ministry were in vain, further noting that they had suspended all their planned projects due to financial constraints.

The board chairperson, Ms Itumeleng Mogodu, said some land board officials visited Mababe and promised to issue certificates but nothing was happening.

She also stated that the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism had allowed them to continue with the investor and that the hunting quota would be extended to 2021.

Currently, she said the investor could not commence hunting camps construction because there was no lease but appreciated that the investor continued to assist the community through corporate social responsibility, citing donation of food hampers to relief them from the impact of COVID 19 pandemic.

Ms Mogodu also noted that the investor had promised to assist the community until end of December this year.

Another member, Ms Kutlwano Russel expressed disappointment over the government’s delay to resolve the issues of renewal of leases and allocation of plots in Mababe village.

She said it was frustrating as they could not benefit from their land like any other Motswana.  

“Everything we have planned for has come to a standstill. We cannot renovate our campsites because we are not sure whether they would operate again,” she added.

Ms Russel said even the investor who was supposed to hunt in their concession had stopped because he could not do anything without a lease.

Councillor for Khwai/Mababe, Mr Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho concurred with members, noting that issues of Mababe community needed urgent attention.

Despite his efforts to table a motion requesting the relevant ministry to address residents about their village said to be in a state land, he said the way the government was treating the issue was disappointing.

He revealed that following his motion, the council received a response that the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services was intending to engage residents of Mababe to address the burning land issue before end of October 2020.

Mababe is situated in a concession area NG 41, which is classified as a state land and a state land is only administrated by department of Lands.

Residents had long called for recognition of the village so that they could be allocated plots and issued with certificates and the ministry found it difficult to allocate them plots because the area is classified as a state land.

Mr Ntsogotlho, who is also North West District Council chairman stated that the community had sold their hunting quota to an investor and nothing was happening as the investor wanted the lease, adding that the trust could not plan properly because they had no ownership of the land.

He appreciated electricity connectivity in Mababe village but raised a concern that residents would not be able to connect to their households because they had no land certificates.

As council, he said, they would consider sending a delegation to the ministry to present residents’ concerns.  

Earlier, MP Kekgonegile told the meeting that he recently engaged the minister on the issues and responded that they were complex.

He said the minister said the land issue was before cabinet while efforts were ongoing to resolve the issue of lease extension, adding that it seemed there was more to it than what they thought.

Mr Kekgonegile concurred with residents that the issues had dragged for so long and questioned why the government could not use the arrangement they used at Phuduhudu village, which is situated in state land to allocate plots at Mababe.

He assured the board that he would follow up the matter  when he returned to Gaborone. ENDS