19 Dec 2023

 Issuance of the new secure land title to the title holders is done by the various land authorities following registration of the same by the Deeds Registry. 

Answering a question in Parliament, Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Dr Kefentse Mzwinila also explained that so far land boards had managed to issue 2 639 certificates out of the 8 040 Secure Land Titles that were registered. 

Dr Mzwinila further noted that his ministry was aware that following the restructuring and rationalisation of administrative districts, there had been expectations that the same would follow immediately with land boards by upgrading sub-land boards. 

As such, he said any restructuring of the land boards would require amendment of the Tribal Land Act and its associated schedule. “Moreover, the jurisdictions of the land boards are aligned to the Schedules of the Tribal Territories Act. 

Since there is no provision in the Act specifically empowering the Minister to establish or abolish the land boards, a detailed consultation process, which will define, explain and justify the need for the process, will have to be undertaken,” he said. He said to date, the ministry had established 41 subordinate land boards, which served the 25 districts most of which were served by more than one sub-land board. 

Dr Mzwinila said at the moment, the ministry was focused on capacitating and resourcing the land boards to deliver efficient services to Batswana with no immediate plan to restructure. 

“The discussions to embark on a restructuring process will be brought to this August House once it has been formulated,” he said. Selebi Phikwe East MP Mr Kgoberego Nkawana had wanted the Minister to update the House on the status of the issuance of the new Secure Land Title by various land boards as well as when the subordinate land boards would be decentralised in line with the Decentralisation Policy that has decentralised district councils. ENDS