Africa-Press – Botswana. Parliament has been informed that there are no readily available plots for allocation in Mogoditshane.
Answering a question in Parliament on behalf of Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Minister of Communications and Innovation, Mr David Tshere however, said Mogoditshane Sub-land Board had plots available for allocation in Gabane (52), Mmokolodi (171), and Mmopane (1 396).
He said Gabane and Mmokolodi plots were planned for allocation during the period between February 3 to March 7.
He said Mmopane survey record was at the final stage of approval. He said the process of approval was delayed by properties within layout which had not been acquired.
“The approval is expected by the end of February,” he said.
Mr Tshere said allocations in Mmopane were to commence during the April 2025 sub-land board sitting to address the Mpeela-Bana Compensation model for the ploughing fields acquired for the Gaborone expansion.
He said there were no plans by his ministry to implement, ‘Thibang diphotlha’, initiative in Mogoditshane.
He said Mogoditshane was a planning area and any available space must be planned, surveyed and allocated either in line with the waiting list or advertised if there were non-residential.
As a result of ending with unintended consequences, the initiative of compensation in kind model adopted by Kweneng Land Board to encourage ploughing field owners in the Mogoditshane Sub-land Board area of jurisdiction to surrender their land to facilitate planning and allocation of land had been stopped effective July 21, 2021.
Mr Tshere said the Kweneng Land Board had been consulting the 206 ploughing field owners who were affected by the dispensation since December 2021.
He said consultations were carried following legal advice sought out and rendered by external attorneys to guide on a possible remedy the land board should follow.
Mr Tshere said the advice was that the landboard should cancel all sub-divisions and allocations done by Mogoditshane Sub-land Board because they were illegal.
Furthermore, he said the land board was advised to engage any third parties that were affected and give them the opportunity to show cause why their allocations should not be cancelled.
Mr Tshere said the landboard having engaged ploughing field owners was currently engaging affected third parties. He said the third party consultations were still ongoing and were planned to conclude by the end of March.
Mr Tshere said so far the land board was regularising some of the allocations through a fine, in an attempt to temper justice with mercy. Mr Tshere said there were no plans to bring in any staff on account of incapability on the current ones.
However, he said transfers in and out of the sub-land board would be carried out in line with the policy and practice of transferring personnel to meet the exigencies of the public service.
MP for Mogoditshane West, Mr Galenawabo Lekau had asked when the ministry would resume Thibang Diphatlha and compensation in kind initiatives to those who surrendered their ploughing fields and when the ministry would deploy competent staff to Mogoditshane Subland board.
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