Africa-Press – Botswana. Mogoditshane East MP, Mr Letlhogonolo Barongwang has requested that government initiate a comprehensive forensic land audit in the Mogoditshane Sub-Land Board.
Tabling the motion in Parliament on Friday, Mr Barongwang cited growing public concern over irregularities in land allocation, including allegations of corruption, land grabbing and insider preferential treatment.
He said the proposed audit would cover all land allocations made over the past 15 years, targeting allocations involving past and current land board officials, employees, councillors, MPs and senior members of the Tribal Administration.
MP Barongwang cited growing public frustration and concern over persistent irregularities, including land grabbing, double allocations, and insider favouritism.
He warned that since 1990, the leadership and public officers had been implicated in questionable land practices, a trend he said had continued unstopped.
Mr Barongwang highlighted the misuse of compensation in kind policy, originally designed to benefit displaced landowners but allegedly exploited by some officials for personal gain.
He revealed that 38 employees of the Mogoditshane Sub-Land Board currently controlled about 800 plots, while ordinary residents still struggled to access land.
“This policy was twisted to benefit a few at the expense of the people, meanwhile, those from Mogoditshane are still waiting for land allocation since 1994, yet new structures continue to emerge,” said Mr Barongwang.
He emphasised that a forensic audit would not only uncover potential abuse of power but also restore public trust in the country’s land administration systems.
The legislator stressed that land was the most valuable inheritance for every Motswana, and its allocation must be done fairly and transparently.
“We owe it to our people to make sure that land allocation processes are fair, transparent and free of manipulation,” MP Barongwang stated.
He noted that a forensic audit would help identify and address any wrongdoing and ensure that those entrusted with managing land were held to the highest ethical standard.
He said Mogoditshane was among the fastest-growing peri-urban areas in Botswana and had since seen a sharp increase in demand for land over the past two decades.
Mr Barongwang’s proposal suggested that the audit should focus on verifying the legality of all land allocations from 2010 to 2025, identifying conflicts of interest or abuse of authority by officials’ involved and recovering land that might have been acquired fraudulently or through unethical means.
He further noted that the findings of such an audit could help inform broader land reform policies and bring much-needed reforms to land board operations across the country.
In response, some MPs expressed support, while others raised concerns about the scope, cost, and potential political ramifications of such an investigation.
Welcoming the move, the MP for Good Hope/Mmathethe, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said land was not only an economic asset but also a foundation of national stability.
He described the Mogoditshane Sub-Land Board as a source of pain for many residents, adding that some land transactions allegedly occurred at night, pointing to a lack of transparency.
“In as much as workers have been transferred, the problems remain. A forensic audit would address these mishaps and ensure every deserving Motswana receives land,” said Dr Dikoloti.
He said this would mark one of the most extensive land audits in Botswana’s history and could set a precedent for similar investigations in other constituencies.
Maun West MP, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama urged government to expand the investigation into a nationwide audit of all land boards, suggesting that the Mogoditshane situation reflected broader systemic issues across the country.
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