Demand for serviced land exceeds supply
Serviced land is allocated to citizens free of charge in tribal areas and is highly subsidised in state land
The high demand for serviced land in residential, industrial and commercial areas, which has exceeded available supply, remains the major challenge for the land sector, Kefentse Mzwinila, Minister of Land management, Water and Sanitation Services has said.
Mzwinila revealed that the demand for serviced land across both rural and urban areas continues to increase on account of demographic dynamics and rapid urbanisation.
The Land Servicing Programme by government is unable to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for land, and yet serviced land is allocated to citizens free of charge in tribal areas and is highly
subsidised in state land, he stated. Mzwinila said achievements made in implementation of the Land Administration Procedures, Capacity and System (LAPCAS) project (under the Sustainable Land Management Programme) include amendment of the Land Policy which was reviewed with the intention to optimise land administration and management, both from systematic and economic perspective; amendment of the Tribal Land Act and Deeds Registry Act to enable registration of Customary Grant at Deeds Registry. The two Bills were passed by Parliament in 2017.
Development of the Land Information System (LIS) is at its final stage, and the Tribal Land and Deeds Registry Regulations are being finalised, following which the ministry will start printing
secure Land Titles. Mapping and assignment of unique numbers for a total of 831,806 plots countrywide has also been achieved. Development of the National Spatial Plan (NSP) was completed and approved by Government in June 2019. The NSP is a framework that provides guidance for planning future developments and investment patterns in the country. The plan adds a spatial dimension to the National Development Planning process by providing direction on where to place developments in a more coordinated and sustainable manner,” the minister told Parliament. He added that as part of the NSP implementation, Francistown, Lobatse and Selebi-Phikwe Revitalisation Plans have been prepared in a quest to unlock the economic potential of the three towns. Presenting his ministry’s plans and programmes
under the National Development Plan (NDP) 11 Mid Term Review, Mzwinila said going forward they are preparing cluster plans for the Rolong and the Selebi-Phikwe Clusters.
He said land measuring approximately 2,522 hectares has been identified and reserved for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Lobatse, Francistown, Gaborone and Palapye, thus facilitating delivery of Master Plans and infrastructure development for the selected sectors of the economy. According to the minister progress made in implementation of the Land Servicing Programme is that, so far, “we have a total of 42 land servicing projects that were approved for implementation across the country with a target of 37,000 plots to be serviced. 25 of the projects have been completed, which have yielded 35,149 serviced plots.”