Kweneng Land Board says it has exhausted all the possible engagements before demolishing Babo family residence four days ago at Metsimotlhabe.
“The Land Tribunal granted eviction orders in June and July 2016, which were subsequently served in December 2016 by the Deputy Sheriff. The Land Board has over the years continued to engage, consult and plead with the affected parties to evacuate the project area as per Court Orders.
The Kweneng Land Board engaged all the squatters during its meetings of January, May and October 2021 to inform them of the impending eviction as it had exhausted all options at its disposal. Some of the squatters complied and vacated the area, whilst others still did not comply and the Land Board went ahead to implement the court orders and evict them starting Friday 12th November 2021.” wrote the Board Secretary for the landboard.
According to Kweneng Landboard, they had to forcibly evict the squatters as they are now obstracting a land servicing project at Metsimotlhabe Block 4. The landboard says the contractor has been doing all they could to progress construction avoiding the occupied areas to give the squatters more time to dismantle the illegal structures and evacuate. The squatters did not comply, which caused project delays and cost overruns which, if the status quo is allowed to continue more costs and delays will be incurred, Kweneng Landboard claimed.
The project, according to Kweneng Landboard, will provide full land infrastructure services being; bituminous roads, sewer, portable water, drains, optic fibre, streetlight, High and Low voltages and Telecomm Ducts
The Land Board has made all efforts to handle this issue with the sensitivity it demands and at the same time executing its mandate within the law. Such incidents are avoidable and the Land Board encourages all affected to cooperate with the Land Board to avoid similar incidents
Kweneng Land Board
On the other hand, the Babo family says that when their ploughing field was taken by the land board to pave way for developments, some agreements were made, which has not been honored by the Land Board . According to the owner of field, the Land Board compensated her with Eighteen thousand Pula (P18 000) for her Ten hactares (10ha) ploughing field, and further promised to allocate her, and her Ten (10) children residential plots as they had built houses in the said field.
As it stands, the family is stranded with no place to sleep. The family of ten (10) elders, and thirty-three (33) grandchildren has been sleeping beside their demolished structures.
