07 Feb 2022

  Members of the Sankoyo Tshwaragano Management Trust have questioned the criteria used to accredit one to the trust.
Airing their views at the trust’s annual general meeting on Thursday, members said the criteria was discriminatory, as some Sankoyo natives were side-lined from the trust because they had relocated.
They were of the view that such people should be allowed to hold dual membership, if their current domicile also had a trust.

In response, board chairperson, Mr Fannah Ketlwaeletswe explained that the trust constitution clearly stated that to be a trust member, one had to have consistently lived in Sankoyo for the past five years, upon seeking affiliation.

He highlighted that dual membership would cause a conflict of interest for that particular member, in that their contributions would be required by both trusts.
Mr Ketlwaeletswe further said dual membership could complicate matters, when an individual was elected to a position on the boards of both trusts.

The chairperson advised members to interrogate membership issues objectively for the final decision to be fair to all. He indicated that the trust’s constitution was silent on dual membership and advised members to seek an amendment that would address dual membership to avoid any future misunderstandings.
Kgosi Gokgathang Moalosi advised them to distinguish between being a member of a trust and being Sankoyo-born, saying the two were different.

He clarified that the trust was a small component of the village, aimed at benefitting people, who were currently domicile in Sankoyo, adding that membership of the trust was not hereditary, hence being born to a member of the trust did not automatically qualify one to be a member.

He reiterated that the trust  constitution specified that eligibility for affiliation to the trust was determined by having been domicile in Sankoyo for five consecutive years, upon application.
He advised members to desist from advancing certain people’s interests when debating membership issues.

He said when a matter was adjudicated publicly and a decision was subsequently taken, the verdict set precedence for similar cases that would follow henceforth.
Kgosi Moalosi observed that people who always complained about maladministration never attended meetings, which he said was a bad practice because meetings were meant to share views and recommendations. ENDS