Bamangwato regent ordered to revisit Nata chieftainship crisis

Residents of Nata village are up in arms following Bamangwato Regent Sediegeng Kgamane’s reluctance to act on an instruction issued by Director for Bogosi Aleck Ikaneng that the Kgosi should amicably re-address the village chieftainship crisis.

Nata chieftainship was thrown into a deep crisis following the resignation of Mokgwathi Makgesi in 2015 due to old age and upon his retirement, a delegation from Serowe village was sent to Nata to address residents about the vacant post of Senior Subordinate Tribal Authority. On the 25th of September 2015, Sediegeng Kgamane, through his messengers directed Nata villagers during a Kgotla meeting to come up with the name of a leader from the village to fill the vacant post as those holding fort, Kgaswa and Rancholo were not eligible since this was not a promotion.

Before the ink could dry, on the 10th March 2016, Kgamane sent yet another delegation this time around to announce Kgaswa as his choice of leader using the Bogosi Act.  Section 22 of the Act gives him authority to do so after consultation with the concerned villagers something which the concerned villagers said did not take place.Thereafter some disgruntled members of Nata village wrote a petition to Minister Tsogwane challenging the Bamangwato Regent’s decision to endorse Kgaswa as the man for the top job in the process disregarding their democratic right to elect their leader of choice in a kgotla meeting.

Before the minister could respond to the first petition, he has recently been petitioned by Kgaswa saying he (Kgaswa) should be officially installed as senior chief. The petition was addressed to Tsogwane, tribal authority, Serowe and the Director Tribal Administration.
He informed the minister that Rancholo and the village BOT50 committee are dragging their feet in their preparations so that the much touted event flops. Northern Extra has it on good authority that Minister Slumber Tsogwane has since directed the Director for Bogosi at Tribal Administration headquarters Ikaneng to have Kgamane’s decision reversed.

Ikaneng informed this publication that Kgamane has been given two weeks to address the issue failing which a three-man delegation should be sent to the ministry headquarters to seek further redress. Gaothata Bob Zibani, a resident of Nata informed this publication in an interview that Kgamane does not respect them since they are Basarwa. “His two weeks end this week and we are not going to give him any breathing space as according to the instruction from Tsogwane, he is supposed to have addressed the issue this week. If he fails, we will delegate three people to take our issue once again to the Tribal Director,” Zibani said. Efforts to solicit a comment from Kgamane hit a snag at press time as his phone rang unanswered. As if that is not enough, the contract for Rebagamang Rancholo who has been acting in the vacant position comes to an end on 31 of August 2016.