04 Mar 2025

There have been delays in allocation of serviced residential plots in Selebi Phikwe, acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said.

Responding to a parliamentary question, Dr Dikoloti said the delays were due to the transition from the State Land Integrated Management Systems to the Land Information System.

He said the challenge had recently been addressed through a process of registering and approving the general plans, which were key to unlocking individual plots for allocation.

To that end, Dr Dikoloti said the ministry would commence allocation of 412 residential plots within the Mekoro layout consisting of 416 plots by the end of June.

He said those allocated were first given provisional offers, which run for a period of 90 days. Furthermore, the acting minister said the layout under consideration had only four non-residential plots of which three were open spaces and one a civic and community.

He said the ministry would therefore, undertake an inspection in the town, starting in April 2025 to determine availability of any commercial plot applicants who had not fulfilled their development covenants, rendering themselves candidates for forfeiture to the state.

He also said should these plots still be available, they would be disposed through the open public tender.

In terms of allocation, the minister said 75 residential and 11 industrial plots were allocated in the last three years, and there were no allocations under commercial and civic and community categories in that period.

Moreover, Dr Dikoloti said allocations for the next five years would commence with the 412 residential plot planned to be allocated beginning of the first quarter of the financial year 2025/26.

He said the planned allocation followed the approval and registration of the general plan during the week ending February 21.

In addition, acting minister said the allocation would be through LIS in order to issue the secure land tittles, citing that for subsequent years, plots would be allocated depending on their availability.

Meanwhile, the number of applicants on the waiting list for Selebi Phikwe stands at 19 156 which acting minister said 15 689 is for state land and 3 467 is for SHHA applicants as at February 21.

In terms of the waiting period, he said, he was not in a position to precisely determine the waiting period as that depended on the availability of readily available plots.

Dr Dikoloti said in Selebi Phikwe land allocation was through the department of lands and Selebi Phikwe Town council for SHHA. He said Selebi Phikwe Town Council allocated 51 residential SHHA plots in the last three years, where 30 were allocated in June 2022, 21 allocated in September 2023.

He,  however, said no plots were allocated in 2024 due to the failing of State Land Integrated Management Systems as a result of migration to Land Information System.

He said expectation was to allocate plots at Mekoro in the next five years, pending approval of the general plan area by the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture.

For the waiting lists for SHHA, acting minister said it stood at 3 467, being low income SHHA plots at 2 932 and middle income low at 535, adding allocation was dependent on the availability of the serviced SHHA plots.

He stated that 215 plots in Phase 1, 2 and Mekoro Phase 4 were currently available for allocation, however due to non-responsiveness of the Land Information System, Selebi Phikwe Town Council had not been able to allocate the plots as expected.

Acting minister was responding to a question from Selebi Phikwe West MP, Mr Reuben Kaizer who wanted to be apprised on the progress of residential and commercial plots allocation in Selebi Phikwe.

He also wanted him to state the number of plots allocated in the past three years and the number of plots government was intending to allocate in the next five years.  ENDS