11 Mar 2024

 The Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs anticipates to have achieved 100 000 plot allocations by the end of this financial year.

Minister Kefentse Mzwinila said this on Thursday when presenting his ministry's budget proposal in Parliament.

Dr Mzwinila said they had already allocated 67 883 out of the 100 000 plots planned for allocation, adding that the remaining 32 117 were being prepared for allocation before the end of the financial year.

He said during the financial year 2023/2024, a total of 73 520 plots were surveyed across the country and that 59 475 plots had been approved and 22 811 uploaded into the land information system ready for conveyancing and subsequently allocation.

He said 25 813 plots were at different stages of uploading into the system in preparation for allocation.

“Having surveyed all the plots within the built-up area, the plan for 2024/2025 is to commence surveying of masimo (ploughing fields) and boreholes to facilitate Temo Letlotlo and commercial agriculture,” he said.

He said the exercise would start with a pilot project to enable identification of possible obstacles and corrective measures before rolling out to the rest of the country.

On the registration of Secure Land Titles (SLTs), he said the process was ongoing following legal reforms that enabled the registration process. 

Dr Mzwinila said 8 955 Secure Land Titles had so far been registered. He added that the numbers were expected to increase following the recent stakeholder capacitation exercise, which covered the practical aspects of conveyancing.

He added that the registration of the secure titles was delayed for four months as some of the bidders challenged the award leading to the tender being set aside by the procurement tribunal, which resulted in a re-tender of the project.

Still on land issues, he said the land servicing programme consisted of 16 projects earmarked for implementation in the 2023/2024 financial was in progress. 

He said Metsimotlhabe Block 4 package two was completed and that some of the roads were already in use, adding that the project yielded 381 plots, which were allocated during the financial year 2023/2024.

He also said the Mmopane Block One was progressing well and currently at 58.4 per cent while the Letlhakane (Letsibogo) minimal servicing which commenced in May 2023 was at 25 per cent.

Dr Mzwinila also said the Maun Central Business District and Botshabelo infill land servicing project was awarded in June 2023 as a design and build contract and that implementation was at the early stage of construction. 

He added that the project was aimed at facilitating the relocation of people who were affected by the Maun CBD land servicing project. He also said the Kachikau minimal land servicing project had been awarded and it was at the design stage, adding that the ministry was also implementing a full land servicing project at Ghanzi.

He added that the Palapye Extension 10, Francistown (Aerodrome), Metsimotlhabe Block 4 Package 3, Kasane Plateau Extension were deferred at the award stage due to budget constraints. The other projects affected by budgetary challenges, he said, were the Seuwane Industrial and Sowa SHHA Block 3 land servicing.In terms of international boundaries reaffirmation, he said the ministry had reaffirmed and surveyed 139km of the boundary between Botswana and South Africa from Mabule to Ramatlabama. 

He said the plan for the financial year 2024/2025 was to continue with the boundary reaffirmation exercise in collaboration with the neighbouring Zimbabwe and South Africa. ENDS