27 Jan 2014

The small settlement of Letoreng in Central District is now at peace following peaceful resolution to a squabble over land, which nearly forced the residents to relocate.

An ownership dispute over the settlement erupted at the onset of the 20th century as two camps - the residents on the one hand and the Lefowane family on the other claimed title to the land. So intense was the conflict that the the land board and other government authorities were called to intervene.

The situation got out of hand in 2004, when Sefhare Sub-land Board issued an order for the residents to relocate indicating the land belonged to the Lefowane family.

The residents felt aggrieved by the sub-land board decision and lodged their appeal with the offices of the Vice President (who was by then the current President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama), Mahalapye Deputy District Commissioner and Bangwato Regent Kgosi Sediegeng Kgamane.

A BOPA team that was covering President Lt Gen. Khama as he donated to elderly, churches, social football clubs and the destitute of Letoreng realised that the residents finally got what they were fighting for.

However, it was not easy for a traveller not used to the Tswapong area to locate the small settlement from the road, there was no signboard with the name Letoreng.

The village kgotla was also difficult to locate without asking members of the community as it did not have the symbolic figure in the national flag. Hoisted up in the sky, the national flag could be located from a distance.

President Lt Gen. Khama who was accompanied by Tswapong North MP and also Assistant Minister of Agriculture and other government and council officials served the residents’ dinner after the donations.

In an interview prior to the arrival of President Khama, the headman of arbitration for the area, Mr Lekang Koboto stated that the settlement was now at peace as the residents had won the battle over land ownership.

Kgosi Koboto said their appeal over land ownership was taken into consideration and the settlement finally got gazetted in 2008. Kgosi Koboto said the land conflict nearly turned the village into turmoil in 2008 as the residents threatened that if their grievances were not taken into consideration they would not register and even partake in the 2009 general elections.

After the announcement in 2008 by the then Minister of Local Government,  Mr Ambrose Masalila that Letloreng was a recognised as a settlement, Kgosi Koboto said the long awaited move was followed by his appointment with remuneration as Headman of arbitration and the official opening of the kgotla shelter.

However, Kgosi Koboto said having lost their claim to the land, the Lefowane family logged another case, now claiming the chieftainship of the village. He said even though the issue was currently silent, he was not sure if they had given up or it will resurrect in future.

An elderly resident of Letoreng, 66-year-old Piet Moremi who was also part of the delegation that fought for recognition of the settlement said the community was believed to have occupied the land around 1917 after it was allocated to them by Kgosi Masetsang Sekgoma of the Bangwato.

Mr Moremi indicated that life was difficult at Letoreng as the settlement did not have social amenities such as a health facility. He said before the settlement was gazetted, the residents celebrated their Independence Day at the neighboring village of Machaneng. Life is not easy here, we are dependent on Machaneng for almost everything, he said.

He said even though still faced with a challenge of services, the resident were now relieved since the settlement received recognition.

Kgosi Koboto appreciated President Lt Gen. Khama’s visit to the village adding that it would help the residents get services and other development projects from government. He said President Lt Gen. Khama’s maiden visit to the village was on July 21, 2012.

Kgosi Koboto said it was not the first time for the village of Letoreng to receive such a visit, adding that in 2004 when the settlement was hit by floods, former President Festus Mogae paid them a visit.

Kgosi Koboto said the village still did not have a primary school, and children as young as six years-old walk to Mathako everyday covering a distance of 10 km to and fro. It is an ordeal for them as they cover a distance of 250km in a month, he said.

Kgosi Koboto said some of the children had since left school as they could not cope with the situation which was worsened by harsh weather conditions they endure on a daily basis. He said those who made it to school could not even concentrate as their arrived at school too tired.

However all is not lost, as government has since answered their request of a primary school. Kgosi Koboto said the project would soon take off and would be done through Ipelegeng. He said their children further separated from parents as after completing Primary school moved to far away village of Mokobeng to do Junior Certificate.

Kgosi Koboto said the village did not have a health facility and residents travelled to neighboring villages for medical assistance, but often had difficulty finding transport. He said the mobile clinic was not even reliable as a month could pass by without it coming to the village.

As for employment, Kgosi Koboto said Ipelegeng was the only form of employment in the village. He said even the youth were struggling to start projects by utilizing the Youth Development Fund. Kgosi Koboto said some members of the community had been trained with a view to having them benefit from government’s  poverty eradication programmes were yet to benefit.

With regard to security, Kgosi Koboto Machaneng police provided security to the area. Machaneng is five kilometres from Letoreng.

“We do not even have special constables, but all is not lost as some members of the community are engaged as cluster policing volunteers,” he said adding the Department of wildlife and national parks had also engaged some volunteers to help curb poaching.

The village is also connected to the national grid and Kgosi Koboto has appealed to government to connect the tribal administration office to the grid. ENDS