17 May 2021

Representatives of some community trusts have requested the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Wildlife, Tourism, Natural Resources and Climate Change to provide a report on pertinent issues they raised during a previous meeting.

They recently expressed disappointment and stated that they expected the committee to bring a detailed report on issues discussed last year.

They said the committee promised a comprehensive report, to be presented before Parliament.

Issues they were hoping to get answers to included delay to facilitate renewal of leases, which they complained that they paralysed their operations. 

The trusts also called for review of the trust constitution, which they argued was a stumbling block in accessing financial assistance from banks. Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust (OKMCT) general manager, Mr Seikaneng Moepedi, expressed a concern that government had delayed to refund them P2.9 million paid by an investor during introduction of the land bank in 2016.

Ngamiland Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (NCONGO) executive director, Mr Siyoka Simasiku, requested government to provide them with consistent funding for sustenance to address issues of Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM).

He said communities were poor yet their district were rich in natural resources.

Mr Simasiku called for change to ensure communities benefitted from such natural resources.

The parliamentary committee chairperson, Mr Polson Majaga, assured to revert around August/September after the Parliament winter session.

Mr Majaga, however, explained that certain matters such as the issue of land bank, were not yet fully resolved and noted that allocation of land was still managed at the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services.

He said it was frustrating that things were moving slowly despite their efforts to engage the ministry.

Mr Majaga acknowledged that the ministry of Environment, Natural Resource, Conservation and Tourism was doing its best to address the communities’ concerns.

A member of the committee, Mr Dumelang Saleshando, had also stressed the need to give feedback and promised that would be done after winter session and promised members that the committee would do its best to give feedback on a case by case basis because failure to do so would result in the community losing trust in them.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resource, Conservation and Tourism, Dr Oldman Koboto, explained that the issue of land bank was about to be finalised since the relevant ministry had secured a budget to pay all the trusts that were owed during the introduction of land bank.

He explained that the relevant department realised that it was not only one trust that was supposed to be refunded hence the delay and promised to follow up the issue. BOPA