11 May 2015

A Zambian delegation comprising members of committee of Local Government, Housing and Chiefs Affairs has hailed Botswana’s approach on chieftaincy and waste management issues.

When they paid a courtesy call on chairperson of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi recently, a member of the delegation, Mr Levy Ngoma said Botswana had a well maintained rich culture.

He said in Botswana, there was stability in chieftainship issues and chiefs as custodians of various cultures and identities, honoured and respected the institution. “We, as the society, should also give this institution a decorum it deserves,” he said.

Earlier, chairperson of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi, Kgosi Puso told them that the house was created as an advisory body to the National Assembly.

He said as dikgosi, they advised on a number of issues as stipulated in the country’s constitution, such as appointment of dikgosi, recognition of chiefs, ascertainment of customary law and issues surrounding tribal organisations. 

“Parliament refers such matters to us,” he said.  He said disputes on succession in royal families were common, but noted that they were eventually resolved within such royal families.

Kgosi Puso said the Bogosi Act made resolution of such issues much easier, adding that there had been cases before, where the local government and rural development minister ended up appointing a commission to investigate disputes of succession. 

Asked how the chiefs were involved in the administration of land, Kgosi Puso said the introduction of land boards has taken away the powers of administering land from dikgosi as land boards were tasked to take custody of tribal land on behalf of the tribe. “The land board is solely responsible for allocation, demarcation and surveying of land,” he said. 

Ntlo ya Dikgosi chairperson however said Dikgosi were ex-officio members of land boards. The Zambians also paid courtesy call on the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Kagiso Molatlhegi, who briefed them on various functions of the House.

The delegation was in a week-long benchmarking exercise to learn about waste management, especially solid waste and the role of House of Chiefs. ENDS