On Sunday, therefore, the elders of the tribe held a meeting with the newly-elected committee present and took a decision to break into the office and inaugurate them the very next day without the department. Representing the elders, Ezekiel Serwalo handed over the office to the new Communal Property Association (CPA) committee.

The Herald accompanied the elders and the new committee on a tour of the offices and rooms and saw, first-hand, the sad state of the building. Used condoms and women’s underwear were strewn all over some of the rooms.

One of the elders, 57-year-old Disebo Ntsimane said she was disgusted at the state of the CPA office. ‘The tribe has been abused for a very long time. We want the new committee to start delivering services to the people of Matlwang,’ she said.

Another elder, 78-year-old Alfred Matlawe, said he was sickened by what he saw. ‘These youngsters have tarnished the image and dignity of the Barolong. This was a free and fair election, I don’t know what the dispute is about,’ he said. In an interview in May, Khotso Rathikoane, the deputy secretary of the newly-appointed committee, said the previous committees had failed to bring about any changes for the Barolong in 23 years. ‘Because of personal interest and gain, the R2,5 million that was allocated for a boom gate has gone missing and our livestock is dwindling in numbers,’ he lamented. ‘The Hawks have already completed their investigations; the guilty party will be held accountable and jailed for this corruption.’ He added that the new committee would bring about service delivery, employment and youth upliftment.

 

Read here about the elections that took place on 14 May 2017:  Barolong appoints new committee to run Matlwang