- Two officials were recently arrested for land related offences
- More officials and some members of the public likely to be arrested
- A number of plots reportedly illegally allocated
- Board Secretary says they are yet to be given full details about the investigations
Police investigations on the alleged large scale corruption and illegal land allocation practices by the Tawana Landboard are ongoing, with two officers having been arrested at the beginning of the month for land related offences.
Police in Shakawe have earlier this month arrested a driver and a land technician stationed at Shakawe and Seronga sub land boards respectively for the alleged land offences.
While the two officers have since been released from custody on police bail, this publication has however been reliably informed that their case is just a tip of an iceberg as many other officials implicated are likely to be arrested as well. It turns out that the covert allocations involving both land board officials and non-officials have been going on for some time now with a number of plots having been reportedly stolen.
Police District No 17 Officer Commanding, Senior Superintendent Victor Nlebesi has confirmed the case revealing that the two officials have since been released while investigations are still ongoing.
Nlebesi explained that investigations of this nature take long to be completed as they are very complex indicating that they have already seized some computers and files from both sub land boards that will help them with their investigations.
“Once our investigations are complete the suspected culprits will then be taken before the courts to answer for the offence,” Nlebesi told this publication.
A high ranking source has revealed that the scandal involves a number of officials noting that there is no how a driver and one land technician can allocate land by themselves without the involvement of other accounting officers. He said interrogations will also be extended to the officials’ friends and families who some plots were allocated to noting that if they were involved they will also have to equally answer.
The source explained that unless the non-officials declare and prove that they did not know anything about the theft they will also be held liable. “Handwriting specimen of suspects will also be taken to establish who wrote the applications, is it officials themselves or not as well as to who signed or authorized certificates among other things,” the source explained reiterating that many are yet to be arrested.
He revealed that the highly classified case which is expected to open a can of worms is specifically being handled by Police District Headquarters in Maun.
Reached for comment, Tawana Land Board Secretary, Dothodzo Tabengwa briefly confirmed that the police have informed them about their ongoing investigations but they have not been given the full details. He said they await full information from the police as to what the investigation is all about.
“This has however made us to be alert, we also need to check what is there that we have not been seeing so that appropriate steps can be taken,” Tabengwa said.
Cases of corrupt land practices by officials in various land boards across the country are an issue of great concern.
