The unfulfilled land promise
More than 67,000 plots, out of the Government's intended allocation of 100,000 residential plots have been distributed nationwide, according to the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Kefentse Mzwinila.
The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) pledged in its manifesto during the 2019 general election campaign to allocate 100,000 residential plots throughout the country. Many individuals who have been on waiting lists at various land boards for years, even decades, await with baited breath to see the promise fulfilled.
Mzwinila told parliament that in terms of plot allocation, the Ministry has allocated 67,883 out of the 100,000 plots planned for allocation. “The remaining 32,117 are being prepared for allocation before the end of the financial year.”
He said that his Ministry continues to prepare spatial plans for various localities across the country as part of the National Spatial Plan implementation. The spatial plans intend to provide a strategic and proactive developmental guide for land and socio-economic development.
Mzwinila said that the plans are used as tools that ensure orderly growth and development of settlements. Progress in preparation of spatial plans is as elaborated below: Francistown Development Plan is at survey stage. Gaborone City Development Plan, and Integrated Land Use Plans for Tsabong - Hukuntsi and Ghanzi - Charleshill are at draft stage. Maun Development Plan, Gaborone CBD Master Plan and Mmamashia - Matebele - Oodi -
Modipane - Dikwididi Development Plan are at draft final stage.
Furthermore, the Ministry is involved in the preparation of detailed layout plans, in partnership with local authorities. The detailed layout plans serve as a guide for integrated planning of social, economic and physical development of the settlements.
He said the plans facilitate the formalisation of development, the upgrading of infrastructure and planning of social facilities. In the financial year 2023/2024, the Ministry managed to produce against a target of 30,000 plots through the detailed layout planning. Further that the exercise of declaring districts as planning areas has been completed.
The declaration of the whole country as a planning area means that the Town and Country Planning Act of 2013, as well as its supporting regulations (including the proposed Spatial Development Code) will be operational in the declared areas, which include the state, tribal and freehold land. The Ministry has been facilitating the UN-Habitat mandate of building inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities by implementing the
Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme. The programme is aimed at eradication of slum developments in human settlements through provision of assistance for local stakeholders to respond to urban development challenges.
Further, that through the UN-Habitat mandate, President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi was nominated to champion sustainable urbanisation in the SADC region.
Mzwinila said the Ministry has reviewed the Development Control Code of 2013 and a Draft Spatial Development Code is in place. The code has been renamed Spatial Development Code of 2023, and aims to be more user friendly, flexible and accommodative.
Furthermore, that the 2023 Code has incorporated the Presidential Directive that calls for efficient utilisation of land by allowing sub-division of agricultural land to a minimum of one hectare for extensive agriculture and four hectares for intensive agriculture.
He said extensive agricultural areas include places where 50 percent of the farm can be used for the development of non agricultural activities. Intensive agricultural areas refer to land classified and gazetted by the Ministry responsible for Agriculture as “prime agricultural land” such as ranches, commercial farms and plantations.
The application and implementation of the proposed spatial development code and other planning instruments is synchronised with the Government’s Reset and Reclaim Agenda, which emphasises facilitation of development rather than control. Mzwinila said during the financial year 2023/2024 a total of 73,520 plots were surveyed across the country, of which 59,475 plots have been approved and 22,811 uploaded into the Land Information System (LIS), ready for conveyancing and subsequently, allocation. Furthermore, 25,813 plots are at different stages of uploading into the system in preparation for allocation.
The minister further said 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. The exercise will start with a pilot phase to enable identification of possible obstacles and corrective measures before rolling out to the rest of the country.
Mzwinila also revealed that Registration of Secure Land Titles (SLTs) is ongoing following the legal reforms that enabled the registration process. A total of 8,955 Secure Land Titles have so far been registered. The numbers are expected to increase following the recent stakeholder capacitation exercise which covered the practical aspects of conveyancing.
He said the registration of the Secure Land 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. The exercise resulted in a re-tender of the project. Furthermore, one of the critical components in the registration of Secure Titles being the Outside Figure tender was terminated in November 2023 due to non-delivery of the consultants.