The society, which also petitioned the Public Protector to investigate the Botshabelo Community Development Trust’s irregular restitution bid, says that an informant within the trust, told them the trust was disbanded by order of the High Court on 6 September last year.

The trust is plagued by financial mismanagement and one of the trustees, former Mpumalanga premier and deputy minister of defense, Mr Thabang Makwetla, confirmed that money amounting to millions of Rand, has been siphoned off without a trace.

Faction fighting became so bad within the ranks of the trust, that a number of criminal cases were opened against members of the now defunct board.

The Bapedi society claims that they were sidelined in the pre-restitution discussions by land affairs and Mr Makwetla had been influenced politically, during his tenure in the Mpumalanga Legislature.

The society, by word of Mr Caetani Mokgoshi, again sent out a stern warning to the trust this week saying “the most aggressive and vicious pro-revolutionary military counter is on alert, and ready to enter the fray practically,” if plans to secure a prospecting license on the mother farm of Botshabelo is agreed to by government, “where Mr Makwetla now wields influence at the top most level as deputy minister of justice and correctional services, in president Jacob Zuma’s newly appointed cabinet”.

Mr Mogoshi presents himself as the coordinator of the affairs of the children of the 1864-65 aboriginal founders, historical occupiers and undisputed buyers of Botshabelo, comprising of eight undivided farms.

“We are fighting a powerful machine we know is corrupt,” Mr Mokgoshi told the Observer on Wednesday.

He said that the society is considering occupation of Botshabelo to stop further vandalism and degradation “because presently no one is in charge of the world renowned heritage site”.

“The Trust leadership has once again established a joint venture with their friends, to enter into a consortium entitled Vharanani Mining (PTY) Ltd, to prospect and do mining exploration and operations on certain portions,” Mr Mokgoshi told the paper.

This could however not be confirmed from independent sources before going to print, in the light of the trust’s previous refusal to enter into partnerships with financiers who amongst other things, looked at developing a hotel and casino on site.

Particulars of the negotiations between the trust and possible financiers were never made public and minister Makwetla earlier agreed that the trust would have had to look at sourcing outsiders to market and manage Botshabelo as a business.

Inferences were made by Mr Mokgoshi, that the trust is in discussion with the Shanduka group, to mine at Botshabelo but this has been vehemently denied by Shanduka COO, Mr Zirk van der Bank.

Vharanani Mining confirmed that the possibility of a partnership with the trust was discussed but that no agreement has been reached.

Legally, the company will find it next to impossible to get the go-ahead to mine on Botshabelo since it is a nature reserve with undisputed historical value.

The society is looking to the court to have the trust liquidated and the trust’s bank account had already been frozen pending a forensic investigation into irregularities.

“We will take the fight to the Constitutional Court if need be,” Mr Mokgoshi promised.

If the society succeeds in overturning the controversial restitution to the trust, it will set a president that government can ill on a policy which has been under fire from opposition parties like the DA and EFF, who are also at odds with each other.

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