01 Dec 2025

The National Assembly on Friday voted in favour of a motion by Mogoditshane East MP, Mr Letlhogonolo Barongwang for a forensic land audit to cover land allocations in across the country over the past 15 years.

Legislators from across the parliamentary isle were unanimous in approving Mr Barongwang’s motion, ‘that this honourable House requests government to consider instituting a forensic land audit in Botswana covering all land allocation in the past 15 years covering land board officials and employees; councilors, MPs and tribal administration senior staff.’

Mr Barongwang had initially intended the land audit to focus on Mogoditshane, but fellow legislators, including Maun West MP, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama and the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Major General Pius Mokgware called for it to broadly cover land boards across the country.

Voicing his support for the motion, Assistant Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Mr Baratiwa Mathoothe, speaking on behalf of the absent Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti confirmed that the historical problem of land in Mogodishane had not been addressed over the past few decades.

He pointed to the Kgabo Commission of 1991 which reviewed the extent of unauthorised allocation of land in Mogodishane and other peri-urban villages, culminating in the government white paper number one of 1992.

He further alluded to the 2021 dismissal of 38 Mogoditshane sub-land board employees on account of fraudulent land dealings and insider trading.

 “Following the Kgabo Commission, efforts were made to address the maladministration and related corruption, in part resulting in the formation of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC). The Land Tribunal is among those institutions seized with fighting this malaise and providing a platform for recourse,” said Mr Mathoothe.

 He added that the Kweneng Land Board had two posts of deputy land board secretary and a programme on the construction of record centres, intended to assist with dealing with the land administration and governance challenges.

“The Ministry of Lands and Agriculture has received representation from individuals and groups registering complaints against the land board. Internal audits have revealed issues of plots with no evidence of allocation, double allocations, abandoned plots, those that remained undeveloped for years as well as encroachments,” said Mr Mathoothe.

 He thus said the ministry responsible for lands supported the motion as efforts to solve the land challenges of Mogoditshane and other peri-urban areas could not be more appropriate as they had lingered on for decades.

The Minister of Water and Human Settlements, Mr Onnetse Ramogapi said land transfers were a major challenge in Mogoditshane. He recalled at the turn of the century, then President Mr Festus Mogae and former Cabinet minister, Mr Jacob Nkate had to attend to frustrated Mogoditshane residents who had resorted to squatting in areas such as Nkoyaphiri and Tsolamosese.

Mr Ramogapi said some people spent decades awaiting for their plot allocations to be approved, while others got theirs processed quicker due to favoritism and maladministration.

Gabane-Mmankgodi MP, Mr Kagiso Mmusi said there were many complaints that reached his constituency office regarding land allocation challenges. Among these, as greater Gaborone grows, he said people in the periphery of the capital were encouraged to handover their farming lands to convert them to residential plots, which reduces their food security.

Mr Mmusi said many plots allocated by land boards ended up in the hands of foreigners, whereas tribal land was generally intended for emancipating citizens.

The mover of the motion, Mr Barongwang proposed that after being passed, action should be promptly taken to follow up the implementation of the land audit in order to resolve the land allocation challenges that had plagued the country. ENDS