Thursday, November 7, 2024

Gabane/Mogoditshane border dispute still unresolved

The Member of Parliament for Kweneng South East, Mmoloki Raletobana, informed Gabane residents that the tribal boundary issue between Gabane and Mogoditshane villages remains unresolved a long time after arguments erupted over it.
Speaking during a kgotla meeting he addressed last Friday, Raletobana said although the Central Statistics Office (CSO) did last time promise that they would go and correct the mistakes they made of counting residents in Gabane ploughing area into Mogoditshane, they have not yet done so.

In fact, they have told him that there will not be any correction. The fact that when the Land Boards partitioned the lands around Gabane ploughing areas, labelled them Mogoditshane Blocks, they indicated that the ploughing fields belonged to Mogoditshane residents. Therefore those residents will, even during constituency’s delimitation process, be counted among Mogoditshane residents.

“This means that we have to discuss this issue, treating it with the urgency it deserves. We have to raise this issue when the delimitation commission visits our village. I was told after taking office that there are some tribal boundaries that cause conflicts between Mogoditshane and Gabane.

This issue was discussed at length between Tribal Administration from both villages as well as the regional District Office. I understand it even reached the Assistant Minister Botlogile Tshireletso’s office. After the 2011 census, the CSO promised to rectify their mistakes. It is really an urgent thing to attend to as if it remains unresolved, it will deprive us of the developments we need,” said Raletobana.

He promised to make a follow up on the legal implications of the issue – whether there are no ways the rule of law could resolve the issue. He also promised to argue about the issue during the forthcoming parliamentary meeting.

On other issues raised during the meeting, a resident, Tau Barei, asked the legislator to update them on the assignment they gave him during the past meeting held at the kgotla. The residents had asked him to book for an appointment with Minister Peter Siele so that they handed him a petition on the underdevelopment of their village.

In response, Raletobana told residents that tight schedule on the minister’s side has barred them (MP and Minister) in all the four occasions he had tried to engage him. He, however, told residents that if they found it appropriate to submit the petition in the minister’s absence, then he could arrange for such action.

Another resident, Dimpho Kobue asked whether cooking gas was not regarded as fuel. He said he asked this because gases come from the same source as fuels, but all fuels are regulated while gas prices are never announced- whether they will rise or fall. It is always the gas dealers who know when they are going to raise prices or reduce them and why.

He also complained that regulation of liquor, especially Chibuku, has improved the environmental status of the village as Chibuku cartons are no longer found everywhere. The only problem the village has, he said, is that of bottled liquor. The containers of this beverage are scattered everywhere, they get broken and are a hazard to toddlers. He suggested that businesses should resort to canned beverages as they are recyclable.

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