Land Boards dragged into Batlokwa, Bakgatla feud
Tefo Pheage | Wednesday April 20, 2016 15:41
Bakgatla and Batlokwa royals are battling each other over the Oodi chieftaincy, which is reported to have originally alternated between the two tribes following Batlokwa’s arrival in Oodi after fleeing tribal wars in Kweneng.
The issue is so serious that Batlokwa royals have reported the matter to Tsogwane to intervene as they believe that Kgosi Segale Linchwe is biased towards his Bakgatla tribe. Oodi village is a homeland for Batlokwa and Bakgatla.
Mmegi has established that Tsogwane has ordered the two Land Boards to demacate or highlight the two tribes borderlines to assist him in dealing with the issue. This was confirmed by Segale in a brief interview. “I am aware that the Land Boards have been roped in to draw the borderlines to assist in the feud. I am not privy to any further details,” said Segale.
Segale is uncompromising as he is of the view that the chieftaincy by virtue of not being a birthright is alternative between the two tribes by nature. He said the Oodi bogosi has been alternating between the two royal wards, Kgosing and Monneng.
This, he says, was an agreement long entered into by the royal ancestors of the land. Batlokwa however rubbished this argument as nothing but ‘total fabrication’ meant to mislead and divert attention from the real issue. Batlokwa has since succesfully lobbied for Segala’s recusal from the case saying he is biased. Kgosi Mothibe Linchwe who is now the president of the Customary Court of Appeal said he once requested that all tribes and their leaders submit documentation on the history and future of their tribes “but unfortunately Oodi did not submit”.
Mmegi has established that Bakgatla want the ballot system and have nominated their name which will be competing with that of Batlokwa. In 1995 Kgosi Molebatsi Semele of Batlokwa won against Kgosi Ntsomeng through a ballot system but Batlokwa apparently now contend that the Oodi bogosi is theirs.
Efforts to get a comment from Batlokwa were futile as their tribal representatives’ phones rang unanswered at the time of going to press.