23 Jan 2024

Consultations remained paramount in day to day running of land board errands recognising inclusiveness as cornerstone for developments, Serowe Sub Land Board chairperson, Mr Sefane Phuthego, has said.

Speaking during a Serowe sub-land board stakeholder engagement workshop on January 19, Mr Phuthego said bottom-top approach when dealing with land board business remained critical in ensuring that no one was left behind in consultations.

Mr Phuthego said concerted efforts and input of all stakeholders was paramount for the land board to effectively and efficiently discharge its mandate, adding that stakeholder engagements create a platform to share ideas on how best the land board could execute its mandate. He said the constitution of Botswana provided that there must be consultations when dealing with issues of national interests.

Mr Phuthego expressed gratitude that Batswana still believed in ‘ntwakgolo ke ya molomo’ a Setswana rendition meaning issues should be resolved amicably within the confines of law unlike in other countries whereby they resorted to violet means in the quest of solving issues of national interests.

Mr Wananani Zhibi, the  deputy secretary for the Serowe Subordinate Land Board, said there had been a lot of public outcry that lease fees were high and made without consultations of relevant stakeholders therefore triggering the need for consultations.

Mr Zhibi said it was binding for the land board to consult stakeholders within Serowe jurisdictional area, adding as custodians of land they must go to people and hear their views so as to make appropriate decisions in the land allocation business.

He concurred with the board’s chairperson that consultations would accord land boards an opportunity to get first-hand information on land allocation processes for the board to efficiently discharge its mandate aligned to people’s aspirations.

For his part, Kgosi Sechele Kgari of Mokwena ward in Serowe said such engagements created a platform for participants to deliberate on issues of national interests that were geared in taking Botswana forward and consequently transform from an upper-middle-income country to a high-income status by 2036.

Kgosi Kgari, who was speaking on behalf of Deputy Kgosi of Ga-Mmangwato Kgosi Serogola Seretse, implored land boards to continue organizing such engagements workshops noting such would improve the quality and standard of life of Batswana.

However, he expressed concern that some of the plots were not having plot numbers and therefore challenged land boards to expedite the exercise of allocating numbers as it was useful in numerous ways.

He was of the view that engagement platforms accord dikgosi an opportunity to enhance their knowledge on land board issues, adding they were performing tasks that required such knowledge. ENDS