Sunday, February 16, 2025

“Babirwa are on their own in deciding their next Chief” – Ministry

The Acting director of Tribal Administration under the Ministry of Local Government says his department will be shocked and disappointed if Kgosi Mmirwa Malema of Babirwa can ask the government to renew his contract that ends in 2015.

Speaking to Sunday Standard, Tumelo Seboko said the department will not renew kgosi Malema’s contract that is due to come to an end sometime in 2015.

A week ago, Minister of Local Government Peter Siele told Babirwa during a kgotla meeting that he will not release the findings of a Task Force that he had appointed early this year to investigate the legitimate Kgosi of the Babirwa.

Seboko has defended the minister’s decision not to publicize the report.

“We should respect the minister’s decision and will find other ways on how the Babirwa chieftainship crisis can be resolved.”

He stated that the government wants to give Babirwa another second chance to go back to the drawing board and discuss thoroughly who will succeed kgosi Malema after his current contract expires in the coming three years.

“Government has not failed Babirwa. The same government encourages tribes to always try by all means to resolve their differences without any state interference,” he said, adding that this is the right time for the tribe to engage among themselves meaningfully and come up with a name of a person that will lead them in the near future.

He further stated that government will also be watching closely to see how the tribe resolves its differences.

Seboko insisted that intolerance will never be encouraged.

Kgosi Malema, who had intimated to hand over to one of his children when he retires in 2015, is challenged by two claimants: Kgosi Adam Masilo, a chief’s representative, and Onketetse Serumola, a Headman of Arbitration who also alleges that the Babirwa bogosi belongs to him.
They both shared the same sentiments that though they challenge kgosi Malema chiefta
inship they also condemn minister Siele’s decision not to release the report to Babirwa and the nation.

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