21 Oct 2013

The newly elected president of Botswana Association of Tribal Land Authorities (BATLA) has pleaded with the Ministry of Lands and Housing to support the association so as to effectively execute their mandate.

Speaking in an interview after the election of the new executive committee, Mr Thuso Bogatsu, who is also chairperson of Tlokweng Land Board said even though they get a sub-vention from the ministry, a lot still needed to be done.

He indicated that the executive committee had to engage with land boards countrywide and also have a mammoth task of informing people about their mandate, for which extra resources are needed. Mr Bogatsu said monthly subscriptions alone by members of BATLA could not run the association effectively and he will look to address such issues during his tenure.

“I will also look into the welfare issues of our members since some are looking to directly benefit from the association because they are subscribing,” he said. Having retained the presidency, Mr Bogatsu said his executive committee will also look to amend the constitution giving other land boards the chance to head up the association.

“We cannot have the same land boards in executive positions. We need to give others a chance so that they can contribute to the growth of our association and implement their ideas,” said Mr Bogatsu. He further said all land boards needed to work as a team and not wait for the biennial conference. 

Meanwhile, Mr Bogatsu reiterated calls by government leadership for people to stop selling land. “Without land nothing can be done. People need to realize the value of land and bear in mind that with land one can better themselves financially,” he said. Ngwato Land Board was voted for the vice presidency post and additional members were Tawana and Tati land boards. ENDS