The Batlhalerwa boo Shongwane tribal authority at Maupi village, near Mogwase, North West, say they are going to take legal steps against the Bapolomiti Community Property Association (CPA).
This follows a land dispute between two parties over a mineral-rich 90-hectare plot of land, over which both claim ownership.
The Batlhalerwa says, last week, the Bapolomiti CPA, carried out an eviction order, granted in 2020, which left more than 150 families homeless.
“They came in and they destroyed our houses we could not even remove anything from the house. A very sad story is that there are children who could not even go to school because their school uniform is still in the destroyed structures. We do not have toilets we do not have shelter,” says John Monageng, who was left homeless after being evicted.
Meanwhile, the chairperson for the Bapolomiti CPA, Mosidi says the eviction order was acquired and carried out lawfully.
“This land we do have a title deed for it. Our forefathers owned it. We wrote a letter to the Batlhalerwa after being made aware that as the tribal authority they support these illegal occupants on our land. What is disheartening is that Kgosi Thera Shongwane, before he passed on he knew this land is not his it belongs to Bapolomiti but everything went bad after he passed on,” says Mosidi.
