04 Mar 2024

Employees in the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs have been commended for their professionalism and commitment when undertaking their duties.

Speaking at the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs awards ceremony in Palapye on Thursday, the Minister, Dr Kefentse Mzwinila said the employees had accomplished a lot with the ministry’s limited resources.

He, therefore, emphasised the need to acknowledge them as they had been instrumental in the significant milestones achieved by the ministry.

Reflecting on the ministry’s track record dating back to 2018, he said strides had been made in the water sector as evidenced by the 98 per cent in terms of access to water while access to safe sanitation was at 80 per cent.

He said alongside other projects, the ministry took pride in the Mmamashia water treatment facility, the biggest in the SADC region.

He said the project, which was nearing completion, had already received accolades both regionally and internationally.

In terms of the land sector, he said, transformation had been witnessed since April 2018 and over the past couple of years, there had been plot allocation of more than 800 per cent of the average of the past 20 years.

“These accomplishments were done with the same resources we have had. To get the 800 per cent increase in output with the same resources requires some kind of acknowledgement and appreciation,” he said.

He said through the land sector, they facilitated economic diversification in the country.

“We have facilitated His Excellency’s initiative in terms of land use and certain functions will now be done at the land boards as we have hired physical planners,” he said.

He said a lot had been done towards meeting the 100 000 target of land allocation by acquiring land from those with ploughing fields.

He also cited the acquisition of land from the Tati company.

Dr Mzwinila, however, pleaded with the employees to improve service delivery and turnaround times to ensure customer satisfaction.

In moving with the times, the minister said they would implement smart prepaid meters in the near future in response to complaints of high water bills. ENDS