Following the recognition of their settlement and its incorporation into Semboyo village in September last year, residents of Mapororo are eagerly awaiting the allocation of plots and subsequent issuance of land rights certificates by Tawana Land Board.
Mapororo is one of the five settlements in the North West District that were recognised by the ministry of Local government and traditional affairs through a Presidential directive just before the elections.
The other recognised settlements included Mochaba which is now part of Shorobe village as a ward, Qweexwa which was integrated into Komana as an agricultural production zone, while Mapororo was incorporated into Semboyo village. Additionally, Xhana was been incorporated into Makalamabedi while Sexaxa was moved from Maun to Matlapana village as a ward.
Now the residents have urged the board to expedite the allocation of their plots, and issuance of land certificates. These are plots that are already occupied by the residents, and have already been profiled and mapped by the land board.
In separate interviews, residents expressed their gratitude to government for recognising their settlement through the incorporation into Semboyo, but warned against any delays by the land authority in formalizing their land occupation.
Nengwa Nehemea, a resident expressed gratitude to the government for recognising their settlement but warned Tawana Land Board against delaying the land certification process. He highlighted concerns over prolonged land allocation procedures, citing the example of Sexaxa residents who have been waiting for their allocations since its incorporation into Maun.
“Such delays prevent us from fully developing our land. Infrastructure like piped water and electricity installation requires proof of land ownership,” Nehemea explained.
He lamented that residents have struggled for years without access to clean drinking water and have been unable to benefit from government programs, such as free electricity installation, due to the lack of land certificates. He urged the land board to act swiftly before these initiatives are halted.
Meanwhile, North West District Council Development Officer, Lesego Phuthi has indicated that Tawana Land Board conducted profiling of Mapororo in October 2020, identifying 86 plots,72 of which were mapped, while 14 remained unaccounted for. Following the settlement’s official incorporation, another profiling was conducted in September 2024 and was scheduled for presentation to the board in October 2024.
Phithi further stated that the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs had formally recognised several settlements in the district through a letter dated September 4, 2024. Following this, a survey and technical team revisited the area between September 19 and 27, 2024, comparing their findings with previous reports and updating records to curb an influx of new residents.
Tawana Land Board is yet to respond to this publication’s questionnaire regarding the issue.
