since bred bad blood between the area M.P and the Councillor with the former arguing that the latter should resign as Councillor to pursue his personal interest. It is clear that the M.P of the area is Hon. R.J. Modipane while the Councillor for the area is Hon. S. Ruele of Mosomane West Ward.
The office of the M.P absolutely refutes allegations that there is bad blood brewing between the M.P and the Councillor, nor did he ever tell the Councillor to resign his position in order to pursue his personal interest. The M.P has been quoted out of context.
The truth of the matter is that, the M.P has advised the Councillor to relinquish his role as the chairman of Bodungwane Farmers Association because it does not portray him well as the representative of his electorates. In fact, the Councillor has been in close contact with the M.P concerning the plight of Basarwa in this area. He was able to contain the situation well at the meeting held on the 17th October, 2005, which could have been blown out of proportion without the briefing he had with the Councillor prior to the meeting in which both Basarwa and Bodungwane Farmers Association were prominently visible.
The Councillor has further made it clear that he does not support the move to force Basarwa out of this land because it is not clear where they are supposed to go, as most of them have been in that area for a considerable time. They were born in that area and they regard it as their home. He contends that he is the Chairman of Ruele family whose purpose is to drill a borehole to water their livestock without completely denying Basarwa an access to the borehole.
However, there are some people who are pursuing a different agenda that intends to force Basarwa out of the area. He has on several occasions told them that he is not a party to this agenda. He could be failing in his duty as the Councillor if he can be seen to be supporting this move.
He further wondered if Basarwa can be evicted from this area without proper consultations with the stake holders in the district who are the M. P, D.C, Council, Chieftainship, Land Board and so on. These stakeholders are the major role players in the district. It is not easy to relocate Basarwa in that area before thorough consultations with them is made. As the Councillor of the area, he knows very well that consultation was never done.
Having stated these facts, the office of the M.P re-affirms to the members of the public, in particular, the electorates in Kgatleng West Constituency, that there is no bad blood brewing between the M.P and the Councillor. The two have been working hand in hand to solve this problem.
Senior Administration Officer
Kgatleng West Constituency
