24 Mar 2021

Pandamatenga residents have been apprised of the Chobe Land Board’s plans to address land shortage challenges in the village.

Addressing a kgotla meeting on Tuesday, land board chairperson, Mr Johane Chenjekwa said the board intended to demarcate and allocate the unoccupied space near Pandamatenga Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) houses. 

He said the planned move was meant to reduce the waiting list for residential plots currently standing at 2 000.

Mr Chenjekwa explained that land confiscated from squatters was not adequate to address the waiting list, hence the plan to demarcate the land close to the BHC houses.

He said as a way of promoting food security, the Chobe Land board had resolved to delimit some 1 200 hectares into small commercial farms of 50-150 hectares each. 

The farms would then be advertised for people to compete for them while spaces between existing subsistence farms would be allocated to applicants, he said.

Mr Chenjekwa said while demand for land kept increasing, the resource did not grow, hence the need for those responsible for its management to be diligent.

He urged residents to take advantage of Pandamatenga’s fertile soils to produce food for the nation and in the process create employment opportunities for others.

On other issues, the chairperson explained that land boards did not apportion inherited land saying they only issued certificates for such plots after the deceased’s family had agreed on the rightful heir.

 For the land board to issue such a certificate, it required a record of the family’s decision regarding the heir and a letter from the chief certifying the resolution.

Commenting, one resident, Mr Pumani Kataba said some Pandamatenga residents were unable to develop their plots because of cotton soil.

Another resident, Mr Morphia Moyo, complained that government seemed to be concentrating on developing road infrastructure for commercial farms and neglecting subsistence ones.

He said it was a challenge for tractors to access subsistence farms due to poor roads.

A third resident, Mr Baithamaki Shango applauded the land board for the decision to demarcate and allocate land near BHC houses and for considering allocating village committees land.

He however decried the sluggish processes of the council planning committee.

Mr Shango appealed to  community members to register old plots to enable the land board to know which spaces were unoccupied.

Responding, land board secretary, Mr Kealeboga Kemoreile explained that prior to demarcation, a survey was conducted to avoid allocating plots in cotton soil areas.

Mr Kemoreile regretted the previous system whereby subsistence farms were not allocated in linear pattern which was proving to be a challenge for development to be carried out.

He expressed optimism that re-alignment of the farms would make it easy for projects such as roads and cluster fencing to be undertaken. ends