30 May 2013

Land is central to human existence especially the agrarian lifestyle of Botswana as it is also a source of tribal identity.

And as a finite resource, its shortage and ever increasing value especially around Gaborone has heightened land speculation and scramble, which has become a contentious issue in and around Kweneng and Medie.

With areas around Gaborone tremendously blossoming, farmers especially those on the outskirts must make way for residential and industrial plots, the move which pushes most to areas such as Medie and Kweneng settlements creating tensions between indigenous settlers who now have to compete with new comers.

The conversion of ploughing fields into residences certainly threatens food security and the resolve by government to reduce overdependence on food imports from South Africa.

According to one resident Mr Power Motswedi of Medie, outsiders continue to invade their area in search of land to set up cattle posts and fields because of their proximity to the city.

 “All this is because they know they can easily shuttle in between without a hassle,” he said.  Mr Motswedi said the invaders have not only taken fertile grazing land, but their livestock keep destroying neighbours crops. 

“They have drilled boreholes for their animals inside the land demarcated for ploughing for the San community under the pretext to water horticulture projects when instead they water animals.”

Kgosi of Medie, Mr Moatlhodi Kgabo feared that with the coming of integrated farming initiative Medie, which is already was overwhelmed with applications of people looking for farming lands, will be suffocated by more requests for land allocations.

“We can’t deny them to use or own land because they are Batswana, but they don’t follow proper land usage. Cattle posts have mushroomed and these farmers water livestock in areas demarcated for ploughing, and this destroys environment because of overstocking.”

According to the 2011 Population and Housing Census report there is a high growth rate recorded in Kweneng and South East districts due to their proximity to Gaborone.

 “Apart from growth linked to town-push factors, villages which are district headquarters have experienced very high rates,” the report says.

The report also says Molepolole still retains its biggest village in Botswana status, with estimated population of 63 128 whilst Mogoditshane jumped from a seventh position in 2001 to become second biggest village with 56 139.

This population growth result in more people looking for fields and fresh pastures for their livestock and because land resource in places such as Kopong, Gakuto and Lentsweletau are now within the greater Gaborone expansion, farmers in the periphery are now forced to look for land in places such as Medie and Kweneng pitting them against residents who now feel ambushed by encroachment of arable farming into grazing land and vice versa as new settlers set up. ENDS