Balete walk out on Kgang Kgang - Asked him to bring them Masisi, Mzwinila
Residents of Gabane village walked out on Kweneng Land board chairperson Kgang Kgang this past Tuesday during a meeting conducted at the Kgotla to update locals about land use, long waiting lists, and compensation in kind issues.
They were not happy with Kgang's address and were disappointed that they were denied an opportunity to fully tell him how they are feeling about land matters in their area.
Land issues have long been a controversial topic for Balete, and they came to the Tuesday meeting in droves. The young and the old had filled the Kgotla, so much that some were seated outside the Kgotla premises.
All were anxious to hear what Kgang was bringing to them; they were visibly itching for answers.
In his address, Kgang told the residents that mistakes were committed in the past by the community and the land board. The mistakes committed, he said, caused great delays, and this is why there is a long waiting list, with applications dating as far back as 1994.
Kgang said that Kweneng Land Board has been busy cleaning up, and the process is still ongoing. He appealed to all those aggrieved to visit their offices so that they could deal with the matter and move forward.
“It is not a smooth exercise; some people refuse to cooperate because they are not being offered what they were promised. We admit that some were promised several plots as compensation for taking back the land they were given for farming purposes, but we are saying those promises were illegal. We want to do things right,” he explained.
Adding that all land belongs to the land board and they are within their rights to take it back anytime they feel the need to, if someone refuses, they will resort to compulsory acquisition.
Shortly after Kgang addressed them, a few concerned villagers aired displeasure with him, saying what he had shared made no sense. They told him that they were homeless because of him and that he should outright tell them the day and time when he would allocate the people of Gabane residential plots.
An elderly man, Kgotlaetsile Modiagane, said at 70 years, old and a married man with children, he has no plot, and it is worrisome because he wonders what will happen to his wife and children the day he dies.
Otlaadisa Manthe said Kgang should get serious; in fact, he should bring them the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Kefentse Mzwinila, or better yet, bring President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi to them.
"I thought you were coming up with a solution to the long-pending hot issue of land, but you have failed to resolve it. Call the minister so he can help you; we have many nagging issues that need attention," Manthe bellowed.
Kgang then responded, trying to calm the residents and informing them that the reason he came to them was to provide an update and advise them to cooperate with the land board so that all issues are ironed out and they move forward.
After saying that, the villagers were told that Kgang would not be taking further questions from the community, and this is when they angrily stormed out of the Kgotla, asking why they braved the cold morning to gather at the Kgotla only to be shut out. They said Kgang brought them nothing and that his message was vague and useless to their ears.
"We had so many questions for him; tota rona ga re mo utlwe, that man brought nothing to us; people are aggrieved; they came to us as landlords and took land from us with the promise of giving us plots; they should honour promises and give us exactly that," John Sentsima added.
Kgang told The Midweek Sun that people walking out on him was something he knew was likely to happen because some of them had been poisoned against them by politicians. The said politicians gave people false hope by claiming that they would get the land.
Kgosi Seeletso Pule of Gabane said he had long told Kgang to approach people as individuals. "I warned him, his approach was wrong, everyone has a special case, this is why they are so angry to an extent of walking out," he said.
They were not happy with Kgang's address and were disappointed that they were denied an opportunity to fully tell him how they are feeling about land matters in their area.
Land issues have long been a controversial topic for Balete, and they came to the Tuesday meeting in droves. The young and the old had filled the Kgotla, so much that some were seated outside the Kgotla premises.
All were anxious to hear what Kgang was bringing to them; they were visibly itching for answers.
In his address, Kgang told the residents that mistakes were committed in the past by the community and the land board. The mistakes committed, he said, caused great delays, and this is why there is a long waiting list, with applications dating as far back as 1994.
Kgang said that Kweneng Land Board has been busy cleaning up, and the process is still ongoing. He appealed to all those aggrieved to visit their offices so that they could deal with the matter and move forward.
“It is not a smooth exercise; some people refuse to cooperate because they are not being offered what they were promised. We admit that some were promised several plots as compensation for taking back the land they were given for farming purposes, but we are saying those promises were illegal. We want to do things right,” he explained.
Adding that all land belongs to the land board and they are within their rights to take it back anytime they feel the need to, if someone refuses, they will resort to compulsory acquisition.
Shortly after Kgang addressed them, a few concerned villagers aired displeasure with him, saying what he had shared made no sense. They told him that they were homeless because of him and that he should outright tell them the day and time when he would allocate the people of Gabane residential plots.
An elderly man, Kgotlaetsile Modiagane, said at 70 years, old and a married man with children, he has no plot, and it is worrisome because he wonders what will happen to his wife and children the day he dies.
Otlaadisa Manthe said Kgang should get serious; in fact, he should bring them the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Kefentse Mzwinila, or better yet, bring President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi to them.
"I thought you were coming up with a solution to the long-pending hot issue of land, but you have failed to resolve it. Call the minister so he can help you; we have many nagging issues that need attention," Manthe bellowed.
Kgang then responded, trying to calm the residents and informing them that the reason he came to them was to provide an update and advise them to cooperate with the land board so that all issues are ironed out and they move forward.
After saying that, the villagers were told that Kgang would not be taking further questions from the community, and this is when they angrily stormed out of the Kgotla, asking why they braved the cold morning to gather at the Kgotla only to be shut out. They said Kgang brought them nothing and that his message was vague and useless to their ears.
"We had so many questions for him; tota rona ga re mo utlwe, that man brought nothing to us; people are aggrieved; they came to us as landlords and took land from us with the promise of giving us plots; they should honour promises and give us exactly that," John Sentsima added.
Kgang told The Midweek Sun that people walking out on him was something he knew was likely to happen because some of them had been poisoned against them by politicians. The said politicians gave people false hope by claiming that they would get the land.
Kgosi Seeletso Pule of Gabane said he had long told Kgang to approach people as individuals. "I warned him, his approach was wrong, everyone has a special case, this is why they are so angry to an extent of walking out," he said.
