Jackalas 2 chief, Joseph Jackalas said that the people of Tsamaya are provoking them when they say they have encroached on their land. He said that it is Tsamaya residents that are guilty of encroachment and trying to steal their land. “They are the ones who are claiming our land as they say part of Jackalas is theirs,” he said.
But the DC, Morupisi said that they had long received queries from Tsamaya residents saying that the people of Jackalas were being allocated plots in Tsamaya land. She said that she contacted Jackalas residents who have since denied the accusations. “I then instituted a task force to look into the matter to check the village records and establish the truth regarding the allegations.” Morupisi told Mmegi that the task force has started investigations through Kgotla meetings in which they ask villagers to identify people who can be interviewed about the background of the boundaries.
The two villages have identified persons who can be interviewed. Morupisi pointed out that Jackalas residents are not happy with some members of the task force.
The task force members are: Freda Mosojane, the chief of Mosojane village; deputy Land Board secretary, George Magole; deputy tribal secretary Tebogo Stephen. Chief Habangana of Mapoka chairs the task force.
The Tsamaya village chief declined to speak to Mmegi about the issue. But some residents of Tsamaya said that Jackalas people are stealing their land and boasting about it. A village elder, Cullen Mongwa said that the area in question is part of Tsamaya but Jackalas residents have divided it into two claiming that the other part is theirs.
He said they will not allow their land to be taken from them easily. Milikani Ndzimumbi, a resident of Mabudzani said that she was lost for words when she learnt about the dispute. She said she has always known that they were under Tsamaya and that all the resources in their settlement are from Tsamaya. She revealed that Jackalas villagers have claimed they have built a dairy in their village even though she grew up knowing that the place is called Mabudzani.
