Residential plot allocations in Khwai village are expected to resume before the end of 2026, following a decade-long impasse fueled by environmental concerns and planning hurdles.
The Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr. Edwin Dikoloti, revealed the timeline in Parliament while responding to inquiries from Maun North MP, Dumelang Saleshando. Saleshando had sought clarity on the status of 71 pending applications—46 residential and 25 for ploughing fields—that have remained deferred since 2012.
The last formal allocations in Khwai took place in September 2021, though these were limited to nine applications from 2016 specifically related to the formal registration of ancestral land previously allocated by Bogosi.
Dikoloti explained that the 2012 deferrals were necessitated by the ecological sensitivity of Khwai and the NG/19 concession. Much of the village sits on a floodplain, making it prone to seasonal flooding.
Previous attempts to formalise land use were met with several roadblocks, which included the Town and Country Planning Board rejecting initial village layout plans due to environmental risks.
The 2016/2017 Development Plan was deferred by the North West District Council pending a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which stalled due to a lack of funds.
To further make the situation difficult, the process was met with community friction when a management plan review led by the Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO) was terminated at the scoping stage in 2018 after the community insisted that the 71 deferred applications be resolved before any new planning took place.
The Minister emphasised that the absence of a comprehensive land-use framework remains the primary obstacle. To address this, he has directed the Tawana Land Board to prepare a new Land Use Management Plan following the 2019 expiry of the previous one.
“The preparation of such a plan normally takes approximately six months,” Dr. Dikoloti stated. “Once finalised, allocations will resume to ensure orderly, sustainable, and environmentally responsible development.”
He further noted that as of August 2023, the entirety of Botswana was gazetted as a planning area under the Town and Country Planning Act. This mandates that any land allocation must be preceded by a legally approved and gazetted plan.
The pressure for land in Khwai continues to mount. Beyond the 71 deferred cases, the Land Board is currently managing an additional 134 pending applications. This backlog includes 60 registrations for ploughing fields, 64 residential registrations, and several new applications for business and residential plots.
“It is anticipated that, banking on the cooperation and participation of the community, plot allocations in Khwai should resume before the end of 2026,” Dr. Dikoloti concluded.
