Landless Batlokwa pin hope on Maele
Pini Bothoko | Friday March 24, 2017 16:11
The Batlokwa capital, Tlokweng’s cheek by jowl nearness to Gaborone largely contributed to the land crisis.
Being so marginalised, Batlokwa are now feeling the pinch and squirming in pain as if being pressed against the wall.
They demand more land for cattle posts, arable farms and residential plots. One thing that unites them, politics or no politics, is the land issue.
It is an issue that refuses to die. Scarcity of land in this area is always on the agenda of every Kgotla meeting. It is the same with political rallies of all political parties.
Last week Maele visited the main Kgotla and on the agenda of his address was water and land. Over the years, Batlokwa have been fighting tooth and nail to resolve the land debacle.
Years back the tribe resorted to approach the Government to intervene in the standoff and purchase part of the land on their behalf in responding to the scarcity of land currently facing the village.
Before the Kgotla meeting, Dikgosi met Maele to seek his intervention to purchase part of the land that is privately owned in the outskirts of Tlokweng.
Back in 2005, the South East District Council took a resolution through a motion sharing the same sentiments pleading with Government to intervene in this matter and purchase part of the land for Batlokwa.
The two concerned farms are Rusetse farm in the northern part of the village belonging to the President Ian Khama’s family. Another farm belongs to land and cattle baron, Derrick Brink in the southern part of the village. Though it cannot be immediately verified, Batlokwa believe the farms were not properly obtained.
Maele disclosed that he was aware of the dispute over certain three farms that the Batlokwa and Tlokweng Land Board both claimed ownership of, something that delays Government’s intervention into the matter.
“There is confusion as to who exactly owns these farms. If it was possible, Government could have long bought part of the land as you have long proposed and could have resolved scarcity of land here. We could be allocating residential plots in those areas, but we cannot do so because it is a disputed land,” Maele said.
In that closed meeting, sources alleged that Maele and Dikgosi resolved to meet again on March 30, 2017 to discuss in detail issues surrounding the village’s shortage of land as well for the Minister to familiarise himself with the issues.
He promised to come armed with all the relevant departments under his Ministry in that meeting so that they could get to the bottom of all issues surrounding their matter once and for all.
Maele advised residents to provide his office with proper ownership documents of the farms before his Ministry as evidence so that their dispute with Tlokweng Land Board could be elucidated. He pleaded with the Batlokwa to end the fight and stop fighting the ‘Ndebele war’ that never ends.
“I do not believe in a war of the Ndebele tribe that never ends. We are Batswana and have to resolve issues in a calm manner where there will be discussions in an effort to come up with a solution despite our differences. You should know that usually disputes delay developments hence the need to resolve the matter,” Maele said.
The land situation is so dire that in the past there was a Court case involved as Batlokwa felt hard done by the Tlokweng Land Board as it had sidelined most locals and awarded available plots to people originating outside Tlokweng.
For his part the South East District Council chairperson, Phenyo Segokgo said land shortage in Tlokweng is so serious that currently residents do not have land to be used for farming purposes.
“Batlokwa do not have cattle posts and land to be used for ploughing purposes. Their cattle currently roam around the village and when they cross to the Gaborone side, farmers are charged a lot of money, something that has been a worry to the residents and village leadership for years,” Segokgo said.
Segokgo pleaded with the Gaborone City Council not to charge Batlokwa when their cattle cross over into the city because their situation is mitigated by the fact that they are faced with scarcity of land.
“Gaborone used to be the grazing area for Batlokwa’s livestock hence the need for Government to acquire them land in which they can divide it for residential plots, fields and grazing area for their livestock,” Segokgo said. Segokgo disclosed that following Tlokweng land crisis in 2005, the council resolved through a motion pleading for government’s intervention to purchase land for Batlokwa.
“We are currently waiting for the motion’s implementation. We are hopeful that government will consider purchasing part of Rusetse farm and Brink’s farms as council has proposed in responding to scarcity of land in Tlokweng village.”