Councillor calls for investigation into Tawana land board dealings
Boro-Senonnori Councillor in North West District Council intends to get ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to investigate possible maladministration in Tawana Land Board after this land administration unit admitted to have made at least 48 wrong allocations in the Eco-tourism zone.
The Land board, which has since refused to allocate residential land certificates to Boro residents because the settlement is ‘ungazzetted’ recently admitted before North West District Council to have, “Mistakenly” allocated and issued some certificates in prime land located along Boro River.
Beneficiaries of these allocations according to Kgaga, are mostly white people. “We avoid talking about these land issues because we do not want to appear to be talking race, but the truth is, that is how the allocations are done. Indigenous Boro residents are being denied the same right that has been offered to white settlers.”
Early last year, Kgaga brought a motion before North West District Council seeking the Land board to issue certificates in Boro, arguing that area is a home to many people including elders who were born and raised there.
The motion was unanimously supported by other councillors. However in recent response the land board wrote back and indicated that it cannot repeat the mistakes and issue residential certificates in an area reserved for tourism.
“The land board cannot just tell us they made a mistake and not explain how they are going to correct it. No, that is unacceptable! It is a violation of rules and somebody has to account and if everything was equal, why give another person what you denied the other, are we not equal citizens?” fumed Kgaga who had wanted Boro to be gazetted before he retires from the council.
Kgaga previously communicated his intention to retire from active politics at the end of the current term, ending October 2024.
However he made a u-turn late last year, attempted to contest primary elections under his political party, Botswana Congress Party (BCP) in preparation for the next term elections but lost.
Boro is located just over 10 kilometres from Maun.
Among development agendas which Kgaga promised electorates in 2019 election year, was the intention to push for construction of a satellite school in Boro, construction of a primary school in Senonnori, better roads and issuance of land certificates in Boro among a long list of other campaign issues.
Nonetheless with the schools being built, Kgaga is disappointed that he is likely to retire while the issue of land certificates is unresolved.
“Yes, the land board explained that it was aware that some certificates have been issued. We have always been aware of that, the certificates have been given to foreigners, they buy uncertified land from Batswana and these buyers are issued certificates without any hassle, yet hundreds of Batswana who have tried to apply for the same were turned down. This reeks of corruption and I cannot rest until these mistakes are corrected,” pointed out Kgaga who for many years has been raising the same issue at the council, but in vain.
Mastering the last kicks before end of his term, Kgaga says he will in the coming full council meeting table another motion seeking the Ministry of Local Government to appoint a Commission of Inquiry to look into the injustices and discrimination perpetrated against Boro residents by Tawana Land board.
This, he says is to promote accountability and fair play on the part of those mandated to manage government resources and further to give Boro residents freedom to develop their homes and improve their lives.