Jeremiah Frenzel, Member of Parliament for Shashe West, recently raised concerns about the composition of Land Board members. He questioned the Minister of Lands and Agriculture regarding the credibility of the Land Board membership, particularly the appointment of individuals who had lost primary elections in the past regime. Frenzel sought clarification on whether there were any measures in place to dissolve the current Land Board membership across the country.
The Minister of Lands and Agriculture clarified that Land Board members are not employees of the Land Boards, as they are governed by the Tribal Land Act, in contrast to employees, who are governed by the Public Service Act. While Land Board members are meant to be apolitical, the Minister acknowledged that some of the current members had lost primary elections in the past regime.
Regarding the appointment process, the Minister outlined that Land Board members are selected following a prescribed process in the Tribal Land Regulations of 2022, which includes advertisement, assessment, shortlisting, and recommendations by the Ministerial Selection Committee. Additionally, Statutory Instruments No. 91 and 92 of 2023 were passed, granting the Minister the power to appoint members outside the recommended list, allowing for the appointment of up to 118 members outside of the Ministerial Selection Committee’s recommendations.
The Minister further explained that while the previous Minister had appointed 80 out of the 118 members permitted, the Minister has the authority, under Section 7(2), to appoint the Chairperson of the Land Board, with the Deputy Chairperson being elected by the members themselves.
On the matter of dissolving the current Land Board membership, the Minister noted that the appointments had followed the proper legal process, and, at present, no legal grounds had been found to dissolve the current members. Therefore, the status quo remains unchanged.
The Minister emphasized that any future changes to Land Board membership must comply with the law, and the current membership is in line with the established legal framework.
