Chiefs and the Politics of Land Reform in the North East District, Botswana, 2005–2008

Abstract

The North East District has the most contentious land question in post-colonial Botswana. Most of its land was expropriated by a colonial syndicate called the Tati Concessions (Tati Company) in the 1880s. Chunks of said land are still held under freehold titles resulting in the district experiencing severe land scarcity, especially for communal use. In a continuous effort to address this problem, the government purchased 19 freehold farms between 2005 and 2008 (about 20000 hectares) for redistribution. The process was carried out under the leadership of the Tati Land Board and North East District Administration while the chiefs and their communities were marginalised. This oversight and marginalisation of traditional leaders and their communities undermine the Chieftainship Act, which mandates the chiefs to actively promote the welfare of their tribes, inform them about developments and government policies. Using the participatory democracy theory, the article examines this land reform from the point of view of the local chiefs. It concludes that the marginalisation of the chiefs amounted to ‘community exclusion’ rendering the reform anti-redistributive.

Reflections on the Acquisition of Land by Non-citizens in Botswana

“…Land-related motions, bills and policies tabled before Botswana’s National Assembly between 2003 and 2018, such as the Tati Company land motion in 2003; land policy drafts of 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015; the land audit motions in 2013 and 2014; the land quota motion in 2013; the Tribal Land Bill in 2017; and the TLA No.1 of 2018, were explicitly and or tacitly aimed at strictly regulating or even barring non-citizens from acquiring land, mainly tribal land and state land ( Botswana Daily News , 2003, August 5; Manatsha, 2011, 2019a; Republic of Botswana, 2011, 2013a; 2013b; 2013c, 2014a, 2014b, 2015, 2017, 2018a, 2018b). In August 2003, Robert Molefhabangwe, a former Botswana National Front (BNF) MP for Gaborone North, tabled a controversial motion, requesting the government to repossess the land owned by the Tati Company, former Tati Concessions and absentee landlords in the North-East District (NED).…”

“…In August 2003, Robert Molefhabangwe, a former Botswana National Front (BNF) MP for Gaborone North, tabled a controversial motion, requesting the government to repossess the land owned by the Tati Company, former Tati Concessions and absentee landlords in the North-East District (NED). This district was once described as a “colony within a protectorate” because of the massive expropriation of land by the Tati Concessions during the colonial era, in the 1880s (Manatsha, 2011, 2019b). The land belonged to Africans, who tried to get it back to no avail.…”

“…The motion, which sought to compulsorily acquire this land, was defeated because the BDP MPs voted against it, arguing that this would violate the rule of law. The government admits that some absentee landlords are not known, save that most are/were of European descent (Manatsha, 2011, pp. 74–76).…”

“…74–76). In the 1960s and 1970s, the Botswana Peoples Party had tabled similar motions, but the BDP had always insisted that the Constitution protects private property rights ( Botswana Daily News , 2003, August 5; Manatsha, 2011). This means that non-citizens, who acquired the land during the colonial era and whose identities are a mystery, are still protected by the Constitution.…”

“…Some pockets of lands were expropriated, without compensation, by colonial syndicates, foreign individuals and churches from the indigenous people (Ng’ong’ola, 1992b). Using the “willing buyer, willing seller” policy, the government of Botswana has been purchasing freehold land, mainly farmland, from non-citizens, including absentee landlords, for redistribution to the landless citizens (Manatsha, 2019b). Since 2000, the year which President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (1980–2017) embarked on the seizure of White-owned land for redistribution to the landless Blacks, citizens of Botswana have also been questioning land ownership by foreigners, which include absentee landlords and former colonial syndicates, such as the Tati Company (Manatsha, 2019b).…”