Evictions loom as Morupule colliery expands
Koketso Kgoboge | Tuesday March 3, 2015 08:41
Residents of the community of ploughing fields and farms that form part of the Palapye Sub Land Board, Serowe Sub Land Board and Paje Sub Land Board surrounding Morupule Coal Mine are due to be removed to make way for the new open cast mine expected to start its groundbreaking in 2017.
However, in the ongoing Palapye sub council sitting, councillors called on the regional land board authority to reconsider their compensation guidelines saying the offers were outdated and threatened to impoverish Batswana.
According to the councillors, prices have steeped in the last few years and the compensation rates are very minimal. Also they complain that people are not compensated enough because of the old compensation guidelines and rates. The councillors urge the Land Board authority to make fair compensation to the affected people.
Councillor George Makhura said people who were evicted from ploughing fields to make way for BIUST were under compensated and some are still to be compensated by the land board authority.
“We have a problem of removing people and not compensating them. People who used to plough at BIUST are now roaming the streets of Palapye and some have resorted to Ipelegeng because of the meagre compensation, which was not enough for them to secure and settle at new ploughing fields. They have nowhere to plough now and their families are suffering, this insufficient compensation is only leading people to poverty,” said Makhura.