Tswapong villagers fight over name

Staff Writer | Monday July 27, 2015 15:22

Minister of Local Government Slumber Tsogwane recently went to the village 70km east of Palapye to inform them that the elections for the name of the village will be held on Monday, today to end the name dispute that has dragged on since the inception of the village in 1956. However yesterday a group of villagers opposed to the holding of elections for the naming of the village, engaged a highly powerful legal team made up of the likes of Sidney Pilane, Joseph Akoonyatse, determined to kill the elections idea on the basis that the Court order that yielded the process some few years ago, did not state how the villagers would vote.

The villagers argued that such a sensitive matter could not be concluded without election rules, voters’ roll, and proper voter education. The last minute ditch could only manage to postpone the elections for the village’s name by five days, as the Court ordered that the elections be postponed to Saturday, while today, Monday, will strictly be dedicated to registering the villagers for the elections.

One of the villagers Jobe Gareaitse said the Court failed to take into account issues such as the need for voter education. Also the villagers are scattered in towns, one day for registration is not enough.