21 Dec 2020

Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Ms Phildah Kereng has told Parliament that the ministry did not hold any money for any community trust.

Ms Kereng said in 2015, government introduced the Tourism Land Bank, where all the tourism land was being managed by the ministry.

“As part of the implementation of the Tourism Land Bank, communities are no longer signing leases with land authorities and operators for their concession areas, instead government, through the ministry, is the one signing leases with the operators,” she said. 

Ms Kereng said this meant that there was no direct link between the operator and the community trust. 

She reiterated that the operators who were operating in community concession areas were, therefore, instructed to pay lease rentals to the Department of Lands, who would then remit the money to the relevant community trust.

She said in October 2016, the tourism operators in NG 32, which was a community concession area for Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust (OKMCT) being Johan Calitz Safaris and Silver Spears, paid land rental fees to the amount of P2 924 005 to the Department of Lands and the money was to be remitted to the trust by the Department of Lands. 

“In September 2019, the ministry handed back the management of all land matters to the Ministry of Land Management Water and Sanitations Services. 

The handover included all documentation and files related to administration of tourism concession areas,” she said. 

Ms Kereng highlighted that her ministry was engaged with the Ministry of Land Management Water and Sanitation Services to get the money to the trust.

The MP for Maun West, Mr Dumelang Saleshando had asked the minister to state how much was held for each community trust; when such funds were received and why the funds had not been remitted to the community trusts. ends