Motshegwa pleads with residents to be patient
30 Dec 2024
Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs Mr Ketlhalefile Motshegwa has pleaded with Tobane residents to exercise patience while waiting for the High Court to resolve their bogosi issue.
Mr Motshegwa who was speaking at a kgotla meeting in Tobane on Saturday, said the courts must hear cases without prejudice hence matters before them should not be discussed.
Giving background to the bogosi issue at hand, he said it arose after former Tobane chief Ms Nametshegang Motlhasedi appealed after her contract expired but was not reinstated. Following her lack of reinstatement, the community nominated Mr Tlhako Motlhasedi as chief, the minister said.
He said Ms Motlhasedi approached the court, which in April this year ordered her reinstatement as chief, noting however that the ministry did not act on the court order. The minister said on December 4, Mr Motlhasedi also approached the court, which then acceded to his application for it to set aside its April judgement so that he could present his own arguments.
Mr Motshegwa advised the residents that the royal uncles, who were the advisors to the kgosi would help solve issues when they arose and that they should address matters before taking them to the community. It is only when a matter cannot be resolved by the uncles that it can be taken to the community to help solve it, he said.
He said such mediation should be held in high regard as it is quick while the courts take time to hear matters and that litigation is quite expensive.
Speaking on bogosi in general, Mr Motshegwa urged Batswana and dikgosi to have an understanding of the institution and how issues relating to it should be resolved. Asking dikgosi to remain apolitical, he said them being politically affiliated was detrimental to the dignity of the chieftainship and trampled on the rights of residents to freely access the kgotla for services.
Addressing an unrelated matter, the minister said government intended to change the structure of the Ipelegeng programme, and one of the changes would be that beneficiaries would be paid P2 500 per month. He said beneficiaries would also be trained at vocational schools and then perform higher level jobs.
In response to the minister’s address, various speakers expressed surprise that the bogosi matter had been taken to the courts while residents had not been afforded the opportunity to discuss it.
A resident, Mr Kealeboga Ditso said he was surprised to learn that the matter had gone to the High Court even though it could have been initiated by the uncles at home, who would have roped in the community in the event that they failed to resolve it. Mr Ditso appealed that the matter be brought home for discussion first, further expressing his dismay at the lack of involvement of Tobane residents by parties to the case.
Raising a different point, Ms Neiso Seone requested government to review social and economic empowerment programmes. She said some of the programmes needed to be reviewed to make them less cumbersome to access. Ends
Source : BOPA
Author : Portia Rapitsenyane
Location : Selebi Phikwe
Event : Kgotla meeting
Date : 30 Dec 2024
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