06 May 2025

Ngwato Land Board has been advised  revisit its service standards to better align with the needs and expectations of its customers.
Making submissions during the ongoing Ngwato Land Board strategic retreat held in Maun, the  chairperson of Mahalapye Sub Land Board, Mr Abakeng Koswane  said it was disturbing to learn that the landboard  had 1 400 appeals yet it has set turnaround times aimed to deliver a consistent and high quality service experience.
“This is testament that we do not apply our set service standards that specified the maximum time it takes to respond to an inquiry or complete a task.
Going forward, we need to revise and effectively apply them to bring positive change,” he added.  Appeals against sub land boards resolutions should be made within a period of a month from the date of the letter communicating the decision to appeal.
Mr Koswane said service standards were critical as they improve efficiency as well as the overall customer satisfaction. He said if board members were applying them, they could have timely addressed or adjudicated on the appeals.
Adhering to service standards and turnaround time, he said, could lead to increased productivity and contribute to high customer satisfaction.
Mr Koswane urged fellow board members to be prompt with communication regarding land matters saying that would reduce grievances and restore trust upon sub land boards.
Serowe Sub Land Board chairperson, Mr Sefane Phuthego concurred that they were taking long to address land matters especially appeals and stressed the need to establish the root cause. He also expressed concern that some residents used traditional leaders to verify that a particular land was allocated to them before land boards came into existence and when they investigate further, they realised that it was not the case.
  Mr Phuthego, however, said it was time that headmen be excluded in administering land matters saying land boards had the capability and expertise to do the job better.
 Earlier, the acting land board secretary of Ngwato Land Board, Ms Kainayang Jobe stated that they had backlog in terms of appeals which she said stood at 1 400 of which some were before the high court.
She noted that 130 appeals  were before the Land Tribunal, five with the High Court while the rest were before the board to adjudicate.
Ms Jobe admitted  that they had to come up with a plan to mitigate the challenges and eventually achieve their mandate and enhance service delivery.
Tawana Land Board chairperson, Ms Reamogetse Yekenge said that Ngwato Land Board had to establish the root cause and come up with strategies to reduce appeals.
While she appreciated that the board covers a vast area, she also advised her counterparts to tell customers the truth about land matters and that the resolutions they made were informed by the existing laws.
“We had the same challenge but we recently embarked on a benchmarking mission at Kgalagadi where we found out that the land board had eight appeals and that they would be adjudicating within two weeks.
We also had a workshop with all key stakeholders, including independent lawyers, who indicated that as land boards we encourage applicants to appeal by not telling them the truth about our processes,” she added. ENDS