10 Dec 2023

There are plans to revise all land-related fees as soon as possible as a response to concerns that have been raised by Batswana, with the hope of reducing most of them to make them affordable to most citizens.

This was revealed by the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Mabuse Pule in Parliament on Friday. Mr Pule, who was holding fort for the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, indicated that government was aware of public discontentment following the implementation of the Revised Tribal Land Act Regulations of 2022.

“Such queries concerning the fee schedule or charges allotted to the different land uses, including agricultural land have inundated the ministry since the changes were made last year,” he said.

He said such concerns compelled the ministry to undertake an initiative to review the fees as refracted in the Tribal Land Act. He said during consultations, most contributors suggested a reduction in fees such as land transfer, which was currently P3 000, to between P500 and P1 000.

He, however, said in reducing the fees, a balance would have to be struck to cushion government expenses.

“The review of these fees is to mainly accommodate Batswana and internal consultations have been completed and currently external stakeholders are being consulted. In that regard, it would be difficult to put a time frame on when the new fees will be implemented,” he said.

He said the report was already out, but that since it was yet to be presented before Parliament, it was still confidential. Mr Pule said the ministry set the fees after benchmarking against neighbouring countries, hence a genuine belief that it was the right market price.

For his part, Member of Parliament for Francistown South, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi said the move to increase the fees was ill-informed as it was clear that such fees would be beyond the financial ability of most ordinary citizens.

He also agreed that there was a need to reduce the fees as a matter of urgency. For his part, Takatokwane MP, Mr Tshoganetso Leuwe also pleaded with the ministry to expedite the implementation of the new fees.

He had asked whether the ministry was aware that the enactment of the Tribal Land Act of 2018 resulted in significantly increased lease rates for agricultural plots, which he said created a heavy financial burden for the lease holders.

Mr Leuwe also enquired about any plans by the ministry to address the impact of such a high rate, especially on the agricultural sector. ends