29 Jun 2021

The Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services is grappling with a 638 000 national land waiting list attributable to among others shortage of funds for land servicing.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on June 28, permanent secretary Ms Bonolo Khumotaka said other factors which contributed to the long waiting list included limited resources across the land acquisition value chain and poor planning. 

Ms Khumotaka said to address land shortage, the ministry planned to partner with the private sector to service land earmarked for allocation.

She revealed that the ministry had reintroduced an accelerated land servicing programme intended to provide the requisite infrastructure in unserviced areas and reduce the  allocation waiting period.

Currently, she said,  the ministry was allocating in-serviced land in response to a parliamentary motion passed last year.

The move would also address the waiting list, she said.

Ms Khumotaka said in the case of Francistown, the ministry had acquired 1 865 residential plots to augment land in the city.

The plots would clear the city’s waiting list, she said. ends