Gov’t’s double standards exposed

Mmegi Editor | Monday November 20, 2023 06:00

This is quite shameful really. What is even appalling is that Balete bought their land while the recently acquired 45, 000 hectares in the North East District was basically stolen from Batswana by one Cecil John Rhodes.

In 1925, Balete bought their land for investment purposes and contributed to raising the 3,000 Sterling Pounds required to purchase the land from Aaron Siew.

Comparably, in 1870 Rhodes simply claimed land (vast tracks of land being the whole of the North East District) for his company which was called Tati Concessions Limited and never paid a cent. These are two different cases, but government chose to apply double standards.

Government tried to grab the land from Balete who had bought their own and bought freehold land from colonisers who never earned it and kept it from Batswana for 153 years.

All this time, government refused to touch the Tati Company but for Bamalete, government even went all the way up to the apex Court of Appeal where they lost, thankfully. When government tried to wrestle Balete’s land, it gave an unconvincing reason that Balete failed to pay the original owners of the outstanding balance. Government said Balete’s debt compelled them to pay part of the loan therefore, was entitled to the land. The same government wanted to take Balete’s constitutional rights by taking away the land, which their predecessors bought.

For the Balete land grabbing failed attempt, the government had reportedly wanted to use the President’s compulsory acquisition powers as a last resort, something they were afraid to do in Tati despite opposition parties’ pressure. What is worse is that Tati Company’s land seizure has for years caused shortage of land and further impeded villages and the city of Francistown expansion.

Government used kid gloves as they left Tati Company to do as they pleased for a century and a half. It claims that over the years Tati Company sold government various tracks of land at nominal value and also donated to government. How could the government allow someone to sell it their own land? The same government is now quick to rush and act hero saying they are the biggest winners in this bloodless coup. It is disappointing because the government had picked up their legal firearms as they fought the Bamalete tribe to the very bitter end.

Balete’s Forest Hill 9-KO measures 2,229 hectares and is that landlocked between Mokolodi Nature reserve, Mokolodi Village, the Roman Catholic land and the railway. It is quite laughable really that government wanted to pay Balete a mere P5 million but took the first opportunity to pay Tati Company P1.4 billion. It is time this discrimination stops because Batswana are equally entitled to the same compensation as naturalised settlers from colonial era.

Today's thought

“Double standards can never promote a healthy and harmonious society.”

– Anonymous