ENDLESS FRUSTRATIONS

 

Gabane residents, who walked out on the then Land Board Chairman Kgang Kgang last year, had a déjà vu moment this past Monday with Acting Lands and Agriculture Minister Edwin Dikoloti.

When they walked out on Kgang, it was out of frustration; community members felt that he offered no solutions to their decades-long land issues, with waiting lists stretching back as far as 1993.

Many residents complained of being robbed of their farms, while others said the land board dragged its feet on resolving disputes.

Kgang had told them at the time that the process was slow because of legal battles and even asked the community to suggest how best the issues could be resolved.

That did not sit well with the residents; it was the same tired script: government asking them what they thought should be done, while no tangible action followed year after year.

On Monday morning, Dikoloti appeared before them with pretty much the same message.

To the shock of many who murmured among themselves in muffled voices, the minister admitted openly that he came to Gabane with an empty sack, one he hoped the people would fill with ideas.

He told residents that he believes in dialogue, not imposing decisions, and framed his visit as part of a broader plan that would culminate in a Lehatshe Pitso in Francistown in the near future, where all land matters will be discussed.

“I have no answers for you. I am here so that we can talk and find solutions together”.

He said that former Minister, the late Dr Micus Chimbombi, received a document on the 30th of November, which suggested “the need for us to come here, and we have known that Gabane has long required our attention,” Dikoloti told the gathering.

Though visibly displeased, residents did not repeat the dramatic walkout they staged against Kgang.

Instead, they listened with patience, though many described it as déjà vu, as the same complaints, some even voiced by the same people, were repeated.

They accused the land board of inefficiency, with some declaring it too rotten to be salvaged, insisting it should be disbanded altogether.

Dikoloti suggested that the only workable solution was for the land board to call residents individually to the Kgotla to sort out their cases one by one, arguing that resolving issues in groups was ineffective because each situation was unique.

Still, for many in attendance, the minister’s words felt all too familiar.

While they acknowledged that the government has changed, with a new president and new ministers, they argued that the script remains the same, only the actors have changed.

This left them questioning the continuity of government, wondering what might happen if Dikoloti were to leave office tomorrow, and wondering whether his replacement would likely follow the same routine of needing consultations.