Plot owners across the country have up to six months from April to update and register their tribal or state land title with Land Boards to get the new Secure Land Title (SLT).

According to Botswana Association for Tribal Land Authorities (BATLA) President, Johane Chenjekwa, the new Secure Land Title unlocks the economic value of tribal land. It is also expected to reduce costs for citizens, as there will no longer be a need for private survey and conveyance fees.

Chenjekwa, who is also Chobe Land Board Chairman, said the secure land title will provide accurate and reliable information that will enhance prompt and informed decision-making by Land Boards, as well as guard against fraud and forgery.

“The SLT will also present a lot of opportunities for landowners including acting as collateral in financial institutions when they seek financial assistance,” Chenjekwa said. So far, about 15 000 plots have been registered out of a total of 485 187 plots that are ready for registration as of June 30, 2022. To be registered, plot owners will have to fill in a claim form staking a claim to a land parcel that they occupy or use. They will also have to submit supporting documents including an Identity document (Omang) to verify the plot owner, marriage regime and spouse details for married couples, a copy of land title as proof of ownership that is a customary certificate, common law leases, and titled deeds, as well as verification of development of the ground. BATLA works closely with the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs, which has undertaken to allocate 100 624 residential plots by March 2023. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Bonolo Khumotaka said the Ministry has decided to allocate a total of 39 201 by the end of this month across Landboards, as these are considered to be available for immediate allocation. Across all 12 Landboards, there are 558 919 people on waiting lists, with Ngwato perched on top with 187 266, then Kweneng at 108 027, followed by Kgatleng at 56 566 and Ngwaketse at 53 669. Chenjekwa however, said in order to accelerate land allocation, vetting of existing waiting lists will be done to identify those already directly allocated by the Land Boards. “This will reduce the time taken to do vetting once plots are available,” he said, adding that they also plan to centralise public awareness to improve outreach to those invited for allocations to reduce non-attendance by those legible for plot allocation. Kgatleng Land Board Chair, Esther Serati highlighted that vetting is critical. Citing Kgatleng as an example, Serati said that after vetting 346 people on the waiting list at the Oodi sub-land board only 158 were eligible for allocation, as it was discovered that others already had plots elsewhere. Rolong Land Board Chair, Gloria Segokgo concurred that some people appear on several Landboard waiting lists as a result of the uncertainty of whether they will be allocated land. “Some people have applied for plots across the country and are just waiting to hear where they will be called first,” she said. Kweneng Land Board Chair, Kgang Kgang said they have also noticed that because of the close proximity to the capital city, many people applied for plots in Kweneng, however, some have plots elsewhere in the country. According to BATLA President, the bulky numbers do not necessarily reflect the number of people in need of plots, and the registration will go a long way in ensuring that government knows “who has plots where, and for what use?”