Being a gateway to several other villages like Nshakazhogwe, Marobela, Tutume, Masunga, Matenge and Makaleng, the two main drinking spots in Sebina - Botshelo and Welcome bar - provide a strategic stopover. But the elders and other residents are worried by what Sebina has become at night. They say the two strategic bars have become a breeding place for “hooliganism and lawlessness”.
“Confrontations develop from the drinking holes and are taken to the bushes or homes and anything can happen at night,” says Bontshetse Moremi who hails from neighbouring Nshakazhogwe. He cites a recent case where a jealous lover killed his girlfriend before taking his own life. “Something ought to be done,” he asserts and dismisses claims that the drinking spots in Sebina fuel crime. “We are a nation of copycats. Some of these things are imported by the youths from urban centres and major villages and are slowly catching up with us to the extent that it threatens stability in our village”. Moremi is worried by what he describes as the decadence of the moral fabric of society.
“Sebina has been known as a peaceful society and these things are slowly eroding that image”. Drinks or no drinks, Moremi reiterates that the problem will persist. “It is the attitude of the villagers that needs to be worked on.”
The chief, Kgakanyane Sebina concurs that there is a problem in his village. “Petty crime is prevalent and our children literally don’t sleep. The worst thing is that they fight, especially after drinking.” Cases of house breaking and burglary are common. Offenders are caned, counselled and punished but the crime goes on unabated. “Come at around 9 pm to this once quiet and peaceful village and see for yourselves,” he declares. Drunken youth roam the streets at night and they are relatively unfriendly, he says. “They fight each other and generally misbehave. If we don’t take control of the situation we fear that the worst will befall our village.” He says he has attempted several times to call Kgotla meetings to address the problem without success. “We can’t win this problem without reaching out to villages around Sebina. Unfortunately, we don’t have an official motor vehicle to fulfil our mission,” he lamented.
Octogenarian, Tsenang Sebina, says that the Sebina of today is diametrically different from the Sebina of the past. “We used to plough and live happily without all these hassles and our children grew up listening to their parents,” he asserts. He says it is not a surprise HIV/AIDS is ravaging the country. “What else do these young people do in the night besides mischief?”. The rate of car accidents and suicides are alarming, he says. He believes that parents are doing everything possible to guide their children, but the children prefer to ignore the guidance. “If children can kill and hang themselves over petty things, then it is a serious cause for concern.”
Sebina local police station commander, Sub-Inspector Bajaki Thebe Matsetse agrees that there is a problem in the village. “Weekends in particular never have happy endings. These young people fight and injure each other in the night over petty things”. It is common for young women to fight over lovers. Young men also give their lovers a thorough hiding and these cases reach the local police in the end. Matsetse says there was a disturbing trend of young local women fighting over Zimbabwean men who in most cases are illegal aliens. “A loser will come straight to us to report that there was someone harbouring an illegal alien only to discover that the man was previously hers.” He was concerned that women register cases of assault only to withdraw them.
“Burglary and theft are the most common offences,” explains Matsetse.
At the Beer garden near Botshelo complex, Ronald and Boitshepho relax on metal stools and enjoy the sorghum beer - Chibuku. They do not buy the story that Sebina is no longer safe. “I drink, enjoy myself and then go home,” says Boitshepho. He has been mugged only once when he was heading home after a drinking spree. “One swallow does not make a summer. I can’t conclude that the village is not peaceful based on a single issue,” he says.
