On average it is not uncommon for a Motswana to wait for more than 20 years to be allocated a plot. It has become the status quo in most Land Boards across the country. The is also the issue of corruption where individuals who apply, much later, get allocated before those who applied maybe 20 or so years back. Most young Batswana who have their own homes do so by purchasing a plot or a complete house.
The president of the Botswana Association of Tribal Land Authorities (BATLA), Kgang Kgang in an interview with this publication said the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs has been working tirelessly to reach the 100,000 plot allocation target set by President Mokgweetsi Masisi in June 2022, hence why the ministry has thus far announced that they have already allocated 99,500 residential plots.
BATLA president mentioned that waiting lists will soon be a thing of the past! Such wonderful news indeed. Many Batswana have voiced their displeasure about the delays in land allocation, but the complaints have often fallen on deaf ears.
Sadly, it is not uncommon to come across all siblings still residing with their parents at home, which oftentimes causes unnecessary friction in the homestead.
Election time is a very difficult time, many promises are, some of which are met and some of which end up not being met. It is not uncommon for politicians to implore different strategies some of which may be to promise voters something they need desperately.
With that being said let us hope the promise of plot allocation will not disappear shortly after elections! Let's hope that waiting lists like Kgang said will be a thing of the past. It would be lovely for young Batswana to get land, while they are still young so they can build and enjoy their homes, not for them to wait for land until they are old and frail, and perhaps don’t have the financial means to build a house.
The initiative is a welcome development and if it is genuine it will benefit Batswana and owning a home will no longer be something for those with heavy pockets only. Many Batswana will get the opportunity to own their land.
Lastly, we plead with those who were awarding land to their friends illegally or selling land to the highest bidder to stop so that the president’s initiative can run smoothly. Who knows maybe in a few years all Batswana will have their land to build their homes.
