15 Nov 2023

Allocation of land for residential plots in some areas where there is land shortage is delayed by compensation guidelines despite government having made it clear that the land owners will be compensated as per the market value.

Member of Parliament for Thamaga-Kumakwane, Mr Palelo Motaosane said in his contribution to the State-of-the- Nation Address on Tuesday that it appears as if there was always a stalemate as land owners were reluctant to let go their land due to unclear compensation guidelines.

As such, Mr Motaosane appealed to government through the concerned ministry to resolve the issue in order to acquire land for residential allocation.

He said the country was on the right path of transforming to be a developed state through a number of initiatives and programmes such as the Mindset Change and Temo Letlotlo.

He said if embraced by all, the mindset change initiative had the potential to take the nation forward. 

“We must not resist mindset change,” he said.

He applauded Temo Letlotlo as a positive programme to improve food production. Since funding under the programme was accessed through the National Development Bank (NDB), Mr Motaosane advised the bank to come up with initiatives to improve its accessibility to farmers in the districts by establishing service points.

Additionally, MP Motaosane observed shortage of agricultural demonstrators and limited resources, a situation he said would delay assistance rendered to farmers.

He also appealed to government to preserve indigenous crops as they have proved to be resistant to harsh weather conditions and therefore likely to withstand climatic changes.

On other issues of development, the MP was also of the view that government should consider turning Mogoditshane into a stand-alone township. 

He said currently, Thamaga was currently administered under Mogoditshane District and therefore, the budget was far too short for Mogoditshane, a location with its unique challenges.

He said that even though Thamaga was declared a service centre, it was not well-resourced, therefore service delivery was compromised. He said it was important for Thamaga to be upgraded to a sub-district.

On other proposed developments across the country, Mr Motaosane said it was important to prioritise the development of road networks. He assured his constituents that even though Kubung-Thamaga road would be done through the Transitional National Development Plan (TNDP), it was not listed in the SONA speech.

Mr Motaosane expressed worry over the dilapidated structures and delayed maintenance in schools and said where possible, CITF and Brigades could be engaged to speed up the routine maintenance.  Ends