11 Feb 2020

Some residents of Mababe in the North West District have decried lack of cooperation between Mababe Zokotshama Development Trust, village leadership and the community.

They said the trust was working in isolation, resulting in issues of maladministration and factions among residents.

Residents aired their views in an interview. Some said the board was elected in 2018 and since then, it never called a meeting to report to the community.

They said members put their interest first thus sidelining the village leadership and community.

“Things are not well in Mababe, the trust has failed us and we are concerned as the Village Development Committee (VDC),” said Mr Eric Obiditswe who is the chairperson of the committee.

He confirmed that the trust was not working hand in hand with other committees and bogosi adding that members of the board always took decisions that do not benefit the community.

He cited the recent incident where the trust wanted to impose an investor on communities, despite a collective decision by villagers during an annual general meeting to adopt expression of interest model on hunting quota. 

Mr Obiditswe said they were all shocked to learn that some members of the trust had already signed a deal with the said investor.

During the AGM, he said some members of the Technical Advisory Committee, which came to sensitise the community on the models of hunting management asked the trust if there was no investor who had already declared interest to practice hunting in their concession and they denied it.

Kgosi Montle Kebuelemang and Kgosi Galefediwe Ruthano also shared their grief saying the trust was failing the community since they had realised that there was too much conflict of interest amongst the board members hence poor governance and administration.

They said they were worried about issues of maladministration and corruption within the community trust. 

Kgosi Kebuelemang said there was no transparency and accountability as members of the trust put their interest first despite advice from the community including village leadership.

He said they were disturbed to learn that despite the community’s agreement to adopt the expression of interest model in hunting management, some board members had worked against the agreement and engaged an investor who once worked with the trust and dumped it.

Kgosi Kebuelemang said the issue could not sit well with the community and the village leadership took a deliberate decision to seek intervention from the Office of the President.

He appreciated that President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi fought hard to reinstate hunting and now some people wanted to frustrate his efforts. 

He said they had also approached the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism regarding the issue

He explained that since the community agreed to use expression of interest model, the tender could had been floating in newspapers but that did not happen. 

In addition, Kgosi Kebuelemang said there were some reports that some members of the board had gone to America to sell the community’s quota. 

Kgosi Ruthano dismissed recent reports by the vice chairperson of the board, Mr Mmoloki Ditirwa that some village leadership wanted to allow one investor to practice hunting in one of the trust concession without the community’s consent. 

Instead, he said it was the trust which wanted to allow the investor.

An elder, Mr Idea Newa complained about lack of respect from the board members noting that they undermined the community. 

In addition, he said some members were fueling discrimination amongst the villagers something, which he said had divided the community.

“We want the board to be dissolved as it has failed its mandate.  Since it took the office, it has never reported on its operation and yet they meet time and again,” he added.

Meanwhile, vice chairperson of the board of trustees, Mr Ditirwa confirmed that the trust was not in good health, adding that some members of the trust and the community had misunderstandings. 

He also admitted that the trust was financially crippled stating that when they took over the trust nine months back, the trust was in debts which resulted in 17 staff member being retrenched. Ends