Dr Gobotswang leads delegation to petition Lands Minister
Member of Parliament for Sefhare-Ramokgonami, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang is expected to lead a delegation from one of the villages in his constituency to petition Lands and Water Affairs Minister Dr Kefentse Mzwinila over land crisis.
Dr Gobotswang stated that land allocation has stalled in Mokobeng village on account of the incompetence of Sefhare Sub Land Board. According to Dr Gobotswang, it has emerged that around 2012 the Land Board acquired and paid compensation for some arable lands.
“Subsequent reports by Land Board officers indicated that their surveyors were working on base map for the village before the Department of Physical Planning does the demarcation of plots.
“It turns out that nothing was done since the fields were acquired and compensations paid. As a result, they have to start the process all over again which is likely to take time given the long bureaucratic processes”, the MP said.
Dr Gobotswang stated that according to laid down procedures the base map drafted by the land board surveyor has to be endorsed by the Department of Land Use Planning before it is sent to Council Physical Planners for consideration. He indicated that the Council Physical Planning Unit looks at the base map before doing the demarcation which is then presented to the Board for approval.
He added: “the approved layout is then taken to Physical Planning Committee constituted by Councillors of which Hon Joseph Molamu is a member. The report from the Council Planning Committee is then forwarded to the Department of Environmental Affairs based in Serowe.
“The report from Environmental Affairs is then sent to the Department of Surveys and Mapping for plot allocations before being sent to the Deeds Registrar for secure land titles.”
According to Dr Gobotswang, it is against this background that an emergency local leadership meeting was convened by the area MP to address the land allocation crisis at Mokobeng aimed at fast tracking the process so that Mokobeng is not left out.
While acknowledging progress made by the current administration under the current Land Board Secretary, the meeting observed that land allocation involves several stakeholders that are not under the control of the Land Board.
Dr Gobotswana added that they need an authority that can push the stakeholders to act urgently. He revealed that the leadership resolved, to send a delegation to the see the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs to intervene.
The delegation led by the area MP is composed of Kgosi or his representative, local Councillor, Village Development Committee (VDC) Chairperson or her representative, and two young persons.
He said they resolved that the area MP should present a motion in Parliament calling on government to consider establishing a one-stop-shop to fast track land allocation in Botswana.