24 Nov 2024

 Just a stone’s throw away from Francistown, about seven to 10 kilometers south, lies the bustling village of Tatisiding.

The exact origins of its name are shrouded in the mist of time, but a whisper of its past echoes through the generations.

Before independence, the village was simply known as ‘Siding’. 

The name was born from the iron horse itself, the railway line that snaked through the landscape, built by the ambitious Cecil John Rhodes.  

The train, a marvel of the modern age, would pause at the village, taking on water and passengers, before continuing its journey. This, you see, made it a ‘Siding’, a place for the train to stop and sidetrack.

But the story does not end there.  The whispers say that a powerful company, the Tati Company Pty Ltd, had settled in Francistown, its presence casting a long shadow over the surrounding area. 

This company, like the railway, was a symbol of a changing world.The people who called Siding home, they blended these two forces together. 

The ‘Tati’ of the company, a symbol of progress and industry, intertwined with the ‘Siding’, the place where the train paused and from this fusion, the name Tatisiding was born, a name that captures the spirit of a village forever linked to the iron horse and the ambitious spirit of a burgeoning nation.

But the air in Tatisiding hung heavy with the weight of unspoken fear. The once vibrant village, nestled amongst the rolling hills, now felt like a cage, its bars forged from whispers and suspicion.

Every rustle in the wind sent shivers down spines, every shadow cast a long, menacing shape. 

The brutal murder of the three children at the hands of their biological father mid this year, had ripped a hole in the fabric of the community, leaving a raw wound that refused to heal.

The children’s murder, the most horrific crime to date, had sent shockwaves through the village. 

It was a chilling echo of the other incidents, the house break-ins, the petty theft and other incidents, had left everyone bewildered.

The case of the stolen goat in Mmoroso ward highlights a prevalent issue, intimidation and fear hindering justice.

The complainant, fearing retaliation from the accused, withdrew charges despite potential evidence of the accused’s own involvement in theft.

These points to a culture of silence and impunity, where individuals are unwilling to pursue justice due to fear, further reinforcing the perception of Tatisiding as a ‘headache village’ riddled with crime and corruption.

In recent days, terror had also gripped the neighbourhood as whispers of a shadowy figure spread like wildfire. 

This was no ordinary thief, this was a predator who preyed on the vulnerable, leaving a trail of fear and pain in his wake.

He is known to brandish a knife, his weapon of choice, not just to intimidate, but to inflict harm.

Of late, he left two men stripped of their dignity and their clothes. The attacker, a ghost in the darkness, had forced them to undress, leaving them shivering in their boxer shorts, before vanishing into the night.

Then came the story of a woman, her face etched with terror. The assailant had attacked her, a cruel twist of the knife stealing not only her handbag, empty of money, but her sense of security.  

The case, now in the hands of the police, became a desperate plea for justice, a hope that the nightmare would end before another victim is claimed by the shadows.

Kgosi Simon Nkgageng of Tatisiding is much aware of all these developments and had asked the law enforcement agencies to patrol the village day and night.

“I think our proximity to the city of Francistown is one major factor that contribute to the increasing crime rate in the village. I have ordered my subordinates that any person who comes to the village must be reported to the traditional leadership first,” Kgosi Nkgageng declared.

He explained that this arrangement was common in the past and the initiative was meant to help the leadership to know  everyone and to maintain order.

Kgosi Nkgageng said a plot for the construction of a police station had been identified but due to financial constraints, it was likely to be delayed for a while.

However, he said the 17 police officers deployed at the local police post were doing a great job though they could not match the rate of crime in the village and thanked the station commander of Gerald Police Station, Superintendent Emily Kula for a job well done in fighting crime.  

“I appreciate the police post in the village but having a fully-fledged police station in the village would be better,” said Kgosi Nkgageng.

“I think there are those police officers whom we can give a pat on the back and Superintendent Kula is one of those,” he said.

He said through her assistance and advice, members of the Special Support Group were patrolling the village the whole night to make sure that there was safety and order.  

Kgosi Nkgageng explained that only two wards out of the six were giving him a headache; Mmoroso and Phusumane wards.

“Mmoroso ward is a festering sore and is the village’s increasing woes. Every day, a new crime is reported from this ward,” he sighed. He said Mmoroso ward, a collection of mud-brick houses and modern houses, was notorious for its youth, many of whom were restless and disillusioned, with few prospects and a thirst for excitement. Kgosi Nkgageng said it was here that gangsters and illicit drugs circulate like a dark wind.

The traditional leader also registered a concern that residents were harbouring illegal immigrants especially Zimbabwean nationals who later commit crimes.

In addition, he said young people were engaged in criminal activities and alcohol abuse, which he said was driving the country backward.

However, with the interventions of the law enforcement agencies, Kgosi Nkgageng said there was a glimmer of resolve and the road to healing would be paved with the difficult conversations.

Mmoroso ward headman of arbitration, Kgosi Joko Mulalu was also concerned about the increased number of criminal activities in his ward, citing that drug lords were found in his ward.

He explained that lack of unemployment could not be cited as an excuse, adding that there were government programmes and policies that the youth could utilise to make their living.

According to the latest police statistics, there had been increases in cases of illegal drug possession, murder, rape, house break-ins and house breaking including the raping of animals. Ends