Pursuit for Kgosi Sekai’s scalp continues
Innocent Selatlhwa | Wednesday April 29, 2026 06:00
Last month, the DC wrote to the coordinator of the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) office at the Ministry for Environment and Tourism to formally seek expert guidance and intervention regarding the persistent governance challenges and constitutional non-compliance observed within the Kgatleng Nature Conservation Trust (KNCT), led by Kgosi Sekai.
“As the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), we have noted with grave concern that the trust has consistently failed to adhere to the foundational principles of the CBNRM programme and its own registered constitution,” they state.
Amongst the issues they say have reached a critical stage is illegitimate Board Tenure. They state that the current Board of Trustees has been in office since 2012 without a mandate renewal, in direct violation of constitutional term limits.
Maotwe also highlights the lack of accountability, noting that no Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been convened since the trust's inception, depriving the community of the right to receive updates, elect leadership, or review the trust's progress.
Further, he states that there is a persistent failure to provide audited financial statements, quarterly bank statements, or to fully account for the trust's expenditure, undermining the transparency required of community-based entities.
Contrary to standard CBNRM guidelines, Maotwe states that members of Bogosi (Tribal Administration) have been making executive decisions regarding the trust rather than serving in their designated ex officio and advisory capacities.
It is also reported that the Board frequently bypasses the Technical Advisory Committee during decision-making processes and, in several instances, has outright disregarded professional advice intended to ensure project viability and legal compliance.
Maotwe also laments that there is a need for realignment under the Trust Property Control Act of 2025, since the one they are currently using was enacted in 2013 and deemed illegal.
“Despite various attempts by the TAC to engage and provide corrective guidance, the trust remains recalcitrant. This situation not only threatens the sustainability of local conservation efforts but also risks the disenfranchisement of the community members who are the intended beneficiaries of these natural resources,” he wrote.
Specifically, he said they sought guidance on: the procedure for the formal dissolution of the current board and the facilitation of an emergency AGM; the possibility of revoking issuance of future hunting quotas to the trust until governance challenges noted are addressed; New Trust Formation in other villages in Kgatleng as they have shown interest in forming their own trusts due to not having their interests addressed by KNCT and its poor governance.
Their letter was responded to by the then acting permanent secretary in the ministry, Abigail Khumoyame, via a savingram. She noted that the Master of the High Court requested that Kgatleng Community Trust provide information to facilitate their registration.
“Kgatleng failed to comply with any of the requests from the Master of the High Court. The District Commissioner is therefore advised to ensure that all that was requested from the Master's Office in their letter dated February 6, 2026, is attended to. This will enable the District Commissioner to decide on the existence of the current Board,” she wrote.
In the said letter from the master, the DC was instructed to ensure that the trustees account for the administration and disposal of trust property. She further called on the DC to familiarise themselves with instruments that govern Community-Based Natural Resources Organisations, such as the CBNRM Act of 2025, Trust Property Control Act of 2025, CBNRM Policy of 2007 and the Trust's Notarial Deed of Trust, as they provide an insight into the advice they requested from the CBNRM Office.
Matlotlakgosi mophato (regiment), to which Kgosikgolo Kgafela Kgafela II’s son, Matshego Kgafela, belongs, had submitted a petition outlining what they term ongoing accountability concerns regarding Sekai's actions, omissions, and leadership approach in the administration of matters affecting the morafe.
The petition, which they state is submitted in the interests of transparency, lawful governance, customary accountability, unity, and the protection of the collective interests of the Bakgatla ba Kgafela, was addressed to Kgosi Sekai.
According to the regiment, Kgosi Sekai has not implemented or publicly recognised the pronouncement by Kgafela II appointing Kgosi Matshego Kgafela in Moruleng. This situation, they state, creates uncertainty regarding legitimate authority; appears inconsistent with customary administrative practice; and undermines clarity within the structures established by Kgafela.
The regent further bemoans that there are no regular updates provided to the morafe regarding the welfare of Kgosikgolo, nor evidence of active mobilisation of the morafe to support him. The regent also states that there has been no accounting for the branding of Bakgatla cattle, the management of unbranded calves, or measures to prevent loss or misuse. They said reports suggesting that some Masama cattle are being taken to private kraals raise serious concerns about asset governance.
Matlotlakgosi also requests clarity on the affairs of the Bakgatla Trusts in Mochudi, including the number of trusts and morafe representation, their mandates and functions, benefits accruing to the morafe, processes and proceeds from the sale of wild animals, and the status of returned animals.
Meanwhile, Kgosi Sekai would not entertain questions about the matter.
“I do not lead Matlotlakgosi, I lead Bakgatla. I do not account to Matlotlakgosi, I account to Bakgatla, whom I lead as their Kgosi,” he responded to enquiries.