Kefentse Mzwinila

"To indeed show that we have done fairly well is that as the ministry we have eradicated the notion of waiting lists in some parts of the country where people can acquire their plots in a short period of time compared to the past where there were waiting lists on all areas in the country before."

"We currently have 60, 000 plots which are being surveyed and they could have long be done by now as we could have allocated close to 110,000 plots had we had resources internally but we had had to outsource surveyors which resulted in delays."

"We are concerned by high number of people on the waiting lists and we are doing all our best to expedite plots allocation. However, we need resources and we don’t have them. We need to first buy land, service it and allocate it. We are committed to fast track allocation."

"There is a lot in terms of budget that is required for the ministry to allocate land efficiently. I understand the frustrations of Batswana who don’t own a single plot. However, we are also worried by some people who still apply for land while they already own a plot."

"Land boards normally can take 2-5 years to repossess the land if not developed. But as a caring government sometimes we don’t want to be harsh by taking back land. Land is very emotional, it can cause instability if it is not handled well. We urge owners to develop their land."

"I believe every land board has its strengths."

"You need to look at each other’s strengths and benchmark from what is stronger in particular ones."

"People should familiarise themselves with the Land Act (in order) to avoid legal issues."

"The manual nature of the Deeds records cannot readily give me total size of land owned by any entity, including Tati Company. Therefore, I do not have statistics to either confirm or deny that Tati Company owns more land than any other native Motswana."

"I have no plans to investigate Tati Company land ownership and dealings in land. However, when all land ownership and transactions are captured in an electronic system it should be easier for anybody to access information at the Deeds Registry as maybe needed."