The case arose after the landboard withdrew a ranch allocation meant to compensate the civic leader for giving up his borehole to the people of Malatswai in Serowe North West. The councillor was convinced in 2005 by the Serowe North West constituency office to give the borehole to the Malatswai community in exchange for a ranch and other compensation. The constituency then got the landboard to agree to allocate a ranch to him and he was notified about the development in October 2006. In December 2006, Makwati accepted, in writing, the ranch he was allocated. A month later, he was asked to avail the management plan and application for the ranch lease so that it could be processed. He was told to surrender his customary grant certificate for the borehole he had donated to Malatswai community. But before the lease could be processed, the councillor was told by one resident that he had already been allocated the same ranch.
The landboard confirmed the claim and requested Makwati to identify an alternative area where he could be allocated a replacement ranch and he did so. However in March 2007, the councillor received a correspondence from the landboard stating that it (landboard) has been advised that the process of giving up the borehole and compensation had not been agreed and finalised.
