Gov’t to acquire more private land
After regaining what was the biggest freehold land in the country in the North East District, the government has revealed that it will now pounce on other private land owners near the border. It was recently revealed that the government has acquired the 45, 000 hectares of land and will pay the seller, Tati Company, P1.4 billion over two financial years. Before the deal, in the North-East, about five percent of Botswana’s land was made up of ‘prime’ freehold land. Even though it is the smallest in terms of percentage, freehold land is amongst the most valuable land in the country and it is often agricultural land or one used for ranching.
Although the government disclosed that the Tati Company acquisition was a peaceful transition, the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Kefentse Mzwinila recently told Parliament that the land in the North East has given them hope to purchase other freehold lands at a price. He said now that the government has purchased the largest freehold land in Botswana, it is possible to approach and buy land from others.
“If we had done this with the largest freehold or private land in Botswana that means it is possible to approach others. But, one must remember that the Tati Company one was done in good faith because they were the ones who came to us by giving us the right of first refusal,” the minister said.
He said after regaining territorial integrity with the Tati Company land purchase, there are other land issues they are working on in a similar rubric which should go to fruition. Mzwinila, however, said with private land owners near the border, it will be a compulsory acquisition but the government will still pay the land owners. He said they have realised that some of the freehold land along the borders prevent the security forces from conducting their patrols.
The minister added that the government has decided to acquire some of the private land along the border to allow security forces to do their work diligently without hindrances.
“We are not going to take all of their land, but we will reduce it to allow patrols along the border. We will pay them because the compulsory acquisition compels us to do so,” he said. Mzwinila said as someone tasked with the land acquisition responsibility by President Mokgweetsi Masisi, he is going to sit down with the freehold land owners and negotiate first. He emphasised that if the government does not reach an agreement with the owners they will evoke the Acquisition of Property Act Section 3, which focuses on the power of the President to acquire property.
“The President may acquire any real property where the acquisition of such property is necessary or expedient. a) In the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality, public health, town and country planning or land settlement, or b) in order to secure the development or utilisation of that or other property for a purpose beneficial to the community, paying such compensation therefore as may be agreed upon or determined under the provisions of this act,” Mzwinila quoted the act. He said they would use the Act to take all of the freehold land abutting neighbouring countries.
“We will consult them if they agree we will decide on a figure. If they don’t agree we are going to apply compulsory acquisition, if we cannot find them we are going to apply compulsory acquisition also,” he said.
Mzwinila’s revelation comes shortly after Masisi had expressed during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the government has since independence used every available opportunity to reform land tenure systems.
“The reform includes the acquisition of freehold land for village, township developments and provisions of grazing land to communities. The North East District is one of the districts which have experienced a shortage of land due to the existence of freehold farms especially in the hands of the Tati Company,” Masisi said during SONA.