- – Charms councillors ahead of public petition over poor service delivery
- – Embarks on mending relations with them on land administration and operational failures
- – Pushes for councillors to articulate land board issues accurately to the public
- – Councillors unanimously praised the inaugural engagement with the Tawana Land Board
- – Optimistic it will help resolve differences and improve land service delivery
Tawana Land Board has this week embarked on a strategy to mend relations with the North West District Council (NWDC) over land service delivery, in what appeared to be a frantic charm offensive targeting councillors just a day ahead of a public petition against the board.
This Friday, North West District Commissioner Thabang Waloka will, on behalf of the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, receive a petition against the board from concerned members of the public.
The residents are calling for urgent interventions over what they regard as poor service delivery by the Tawana Land Board, including delays in land allocations, transfers, subdivisions, and inheritance claims, as well as allegations of nepotism and corruption, among other concerns.
The petition comes at a time when North West District councillors have also constantly and aggressively criticised the Tawana Land Board over land administration and operational failures, among similar complaints.
Tawana Land Board Chairperson Reamogetse Yakenge acknowledged on Tuesday, during their inaugural stakeholder engagement workshop with the NWDC, that the meeting was prompted by the continuous criticism they receive from councillors during their sittings.
She, however, refuted reports that the engagement was meant to lobby for the councillors’ support against the scheduled petition with an aim to frustrate its intended purpose.
“Our engagement does not seek to stop the petition. We are going to treat all the complaints expressed in the petition as feedback so that we can know where we can improve our service delivery,” Yakenge stated.
She assured that the board will respond to the residents after receiving the petition, emphasising that it is every citizen’s right to freely raise complaints when they have them.
For his part, Land Board Secretary Patrick Mutakela also welcomed the petition, indicating that the engagement with councillors sought to lay bare the challenges raised by the concerned residents.
He emphasised that both the council and the land board serve the same clientele, hence the need for them to engage frequently. Mutakela indicated that the objective of the engagement was to enhance the understanding of factors that affect land service delivery, including administrative, technical, and resource-related constraints impacting performance.
He stressed that they want to build a common understanding so that councillors can articulate land board issues accurately to the public.
“We want to solicit your views and recommendations on what should be done to address these challenges, and to identify opportunities for policy and operational improvements to remove impediments,” the board secretary underscored.
In their responses, the councillors unanimously praised the inaugural engagement with the Tawana Land Board, expressing optimism that it will resolve their differences and improve service delivery across the district.
Shorobe-Matlapana Councillor Kobamelo Baikgodisi advised the board to avoid undermining councillors as key stakeholders in land administration issues. “We should start working together because, as councillors, we live close to the public, so we can help you answer concerns from them,” he stated.
Makalamabedi-Phuduhudu Councillor Bathokomedi Monnaatsie stated that had such engagements started long ago, both the councillors and the board would not be attacking each other.
“These engagements are very crucial, and we should have started them long ago. They could have helped us stop attacking each other. As collaborative stakeholders, your problems are ours,” he emphasised.
Disana Ward Councillor Rizerua Kazenambo appreciated that the land board is now introspecting, noting that he had previously been ready to support the public petition with his own Public Address (PA) system.
NWDC Chairperson Itumeleng Kelebetseng concluded that the initiative will help both stakeholders find solutions to pending land allocations in the district, as well as other impediments. He has since suggested that the engagements be held annually and extended to other key stakeholders in land administration matters.
