What is wrong with the landboard system?

Tribal land comprises about 71% of the national land area, state land makes up 25% of our land and freehold the remainder of just over 4 percent. Consequently, tribal land is a major national resource.

Prior to 1970, the chiefs administered all tribal land in Botswana in the traditional manner, following the norms and rules of customary law. In 1968, the government enacted the Tribal Land Act, which transferred the chiefs' powers over tribal land to landboards, statutory bodies whose members were mostly nominated by the Minister responsible for land matters. The purpose of the change was stated at the time to be to enable the modernisation of rural land tenure and to democratise (and make more accountable) rural land administration. The Act came into force in 1970.