101 residents arrested during march
MORE than 100 residents of Mzombane village were arrested last Friday after they took the law into their own hands after yet another lawful attempt to hand-over a memorandum to chief Lesiba Kekana for their rights to basic service delivery was unsuccessful.
MOKOPANE – MORE than 100 residents of Mzombane village were arrested last Friday after they took the law into their own hands after yet another lawful attempt to hand-over a memorandum to chief Lesiba Kekana for their rights to basic service delivery was unsuccessful.
Residents of Mzombane, Sekgakgapeng, Makapan’s valley, Magongwa, Mosesetjane village, Madiba village and Machikiri were escorted by the Mahwelereng police and traffic officials in a legal march to the tribal office to hand-over a memorandum to Kekana, disputing each village’s concerns.
“We are tired of being exploited by the Mokopane Tribal Authority and we demand a response from all relevant stakeholders within seven days,” read the memorandum.
“When we arrived at the tribal offices, no one was there and we were unable to hand-over the memorandum to chief Kekana for the second time in a row. We took the memorandum on Monday to the office of the premier and we are awaiting the seven day time period to receive an answer. We were not part of the protest that occurred after the march,” Matsheledisha Kekana, chairperson of Sanco Mogalakwena, told Bosveld on Tuesday morning.
Masenya Matsobane, chairperson of the Mzombane village committee, said: “the residents of Mzombane were very angry and frustrated after they returned from yet another unsuccessful attempt to hand-over a memorandum to chief Kekana.
“In a cry for help, they took the law into their own hands and blocked of the N11 road in front of Mzombane with rocks and burning tyres. Some of the angry residents tried to burn one of the mine trucks out of frustration. The Mahwelereng police arrived on the scene and targeted the leadership of the Mzombane village, and five of us were arrested for malicious damage to property. I was not part of the group of people who blocked the road, but I was arrested because I am the chairperson. The community went straight to the police station and asked for the release of their leaders. The police arrested 101 residents on a charge of public violence, and we all spend the weekend in jail”.
Matsobane told Bosveld on Tuesday morning; “we as a community are tired of asking for the same thing for the last 11 years and that is for the basic right to running water and electricity. We do not want to raise our children in these primitive circumstances, they also deserve a right not to grow up in the dark. I am appealing to government to please assist us in this matter, we will be truly grateful.”
Col Ronel Otto, provincial police spokesperson, reported that five suspects were arrested for malicious damage to property after an attempt to burn down a truck.
“The community then arrived at the Mahwelereng police station where they were warned numerous times to leave as it is an unlawful gathering and public violence. The residents did not listen and 101 people were arrested,” said Otto.
Otto said all those who were arrested, including the first five suspects appeared before the Mokerong magistrate’s court in Mahwelereng on Monday and were granted free bail.
The five suspects will appear before the Mokerong magistrate’s court on a charge of malicious damage on July 17 and the rest will appear on July 28 on a charge of public violence.
In the memorandum, the residents pleaded for:
• Kekana must be removed from the tribal office with immediate effect, together with his administrator.
• All acting headman must be removed together with Kekana.
• Councils must be elected in all villages and they must be recognised by the department of cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs, (Coghsta) and the communities.
• The department of mineral resources must stop all Platreef activities because there is no lease agreement.
• Land affairs must investigate and report the process which Platreef mine followed in acquiring mining rights.
• All of their concerns must be read and investigated by the public protector and the matter should be finalised as they were tired of the acting chiefs and headman.
• They demand that the premier, Stanley Mathabatha institute a commission of inquiry to investigate corruption withing the chieftaincy at Mzombane.
Kekana could not be reached for comment by the time Bosveld went to print.
