Minister temporarily halts demolitions
The Minister of Lands and Water Affairs Dr. Kefentse Mzwinila has warned squatters in Mogodistahne that their continued refusal to move is delaying development projects and costing government millions in cost overruns.
In an interview with Botswana Guardian, Dr. Mzwinila on Tuesday this week revealed that most of the squatters are illegally occupying land that is on the pathway of major infrastructure development projects, which include street lighting, plot allocations, road construction, sewage and water reticulation, as well as power and telecommunication lines.
“In some cases, we were forced to halt construction as people refused to pave way for infrastructure development projects. This is despite the fact that they are occupying that land illegally. As government we cannot compromise on the rule of law. Those who are occupying land illegally must move,” he said.
However, he added that government has to balance enforcement of the law with Botswana’s traditional values of botho and being a caring and compassionate nation that respects the dignity of all – which is what informed his decision to order Mogoditshane Sub Landboard to stand down and give the squatters time to prepare and leave voluntarily.
Dr. Mzwinila’s intervention averted the forceful eviction of the squatters and demolition of their houses. The Minister who is also a Specially Elected MP, explained that the decision to allow the squatters to leave voluntarily was meant to accord them dignity and give them time to prepare.
He however maintained that the squatters were bound by law to vacate the land within a reasonable space of time, failing which the landboard will have no choice but to remove them forcefully.
He explained that the decision to give the squatters reprieve was in line with government’s RESET Agenda and the national Vision 2036; which talk about fostering social inclusion and shared prosperity.
However, he warned that government cannot delay the rollout of development projects that could benefit thousands of people because of squatters. “The land board has a legal responsibility to enforce the law and evict these people. They must also follow due process and exhaust all available options before resorting to eviction.”
With a budget of P6.07 billion this financial year, the Ministry of Land and Water Affairs is rolling out infrastructure development and land servicing projects; as part of targeted economic stimulus initiatives during the transitional national development plan.
During a press briefing earlier this year, Mzwinila announced that the Metsimotlhabe Block 4 land servicing project, which involved servicing of 381 plots, was 90 percent complete. “Some of the plots have been allocated and the community is now using the roads, storm water drains and solar street lights,” he said. The Ministry of Lands had allocated 52,277 plots in tribal land between 1st April 2022 and 28th February 2023; six times more than the number of plots allocated in the past two decades. An additional 60,000 plots are currently being surveyed.