Angry North West villagers have threatened to overthrowtheir chief, saying he has failed and disrespected them.
The villagers said they were angry that chief Mogakolodi Masibi was not engaging them about the finances of the tribal office.
Disaneng villagers on the Botswana border last week gathered outside the Batlharwa ba ga Masibi tribal offices and discussed the way forward for their village after the tribal offices were shut down inAugust.
They are also incensed that Masibi allegedly doesn't want to allow an elected ANC councillor Elizabeth Phaedi to visit the village. Residents say the chief hampers service delivery.
Disaneng village is among the areas in the province which struggle with water shortages. The village also has incomplete RDP houses. This after a contractor left the project half done, claiming the Department of Human Settlements had not paid him.
The villagers threatened to open the tribal office and start running it themselves.
They said they would not be led by their chief until the financial statements of the tribal office had been audited.
One of the villagers, Lebogang Masibi, said the offices would remain closed until chief Masibi listened to their grievances.
"He will not lead us; we want all the tribal office's financial books to be audited," he said.
Another villager, George Moeng, said what chief Masibi was doing was a disgrace.
"He is stubborn and disrespecting us, we are nothing to him and he does as he pleases with us," he said.
Community leader Phokoje Maphango said they were planning to have a communal property association (CPA) that would take over the running of the tribal office.
"We want Disaneng to be like other villages. Here we pay for a proof (of) residence letter (but) everywhere else it's for free. A CPA will help us with such things," he said.
Masibi, who was not part of the meeting, said he had been violated.
"Let them go ahead and open those offices. It means they are now the rightful leaders of my village.
"Let them proceed," he said.
Masibi said no one told him that there would be a meeting.
"They did not even have the decency to call me as their chief," he said.
He added that he could not comment about the financial status of the tribal office.
"I do not handle the finances, its not my job.
"Go to the house of traditional leaders, they are the ones that run the finances of my office," the chief said.
Maphango said the tribal office earned its revenue from rentals and tribal levies.
He said they paid R20 per annum for tribal levies and R10 for proof of residence and stock change of ownership letters.
tshehleb@sowetan.co.za
'Impolite chief' angers villagers
Angry North West villagers have threatened to overthrowtheir chief, saying he has failed and disrespected them.
The villagers said they were angry that chief Mogakolodi Masibi was not engaging them about the finances of the tribal office.
Disaneng villagers on the Botswana border last week gathered outside the Batlharwa ba ga Masibi tribal offices and discussed the way forward for their village after the tribal offices were shut down inAugust.
They are also incensed that Masibi allegedly doesn't want to allow an elected ANC councillor Elizabeth Phaedi to visit the village. Residents say the chief hampers service delivery.
Disaneng village is among the areas in the province which struggle with water shortages. The village also has incomplete RDP houses. This after a contractor left the project half done, claiming the Department of Human Settlements had not paid him.
The villagers threatened to open the tribal office and start running it themselves.
They said they would not be led by their chief until the financial statements of the tribal office had been audited.
One of the villagers, Lebogang Masibi, said the offices would remain closed until chief Masibi listened to their grievances.
"He will not lead us; we want all the tribal office's financial books to be audited," he said.
Another villager, George Moeng, said what chief Masibi was doing was a disgrace.
"He is stubborn and disrespecting us, we are nothing to him and he does as he pleases with us," he said.
Community leader Phokoje Maphango said they were planning to have a communal property association (CPA) that would take over the running of the tribal office.
"We want Disaneng to be like other villages. Here we pay for a proof (of) residence letter (but) everywhere else it's for free. A CPA will help us with such things," he said.
Masibi, who was not part of the meeting, said he had been violated.
"Let them go ahead and open those offices. It means they are now the rightful leaders of my village.
"Let them proceed," he said.
Masibi said no one told him that there would be a meeting.
"They did not even have the decency to call me as their chief," he said.
He added that he could not comment about the financial status of the tribal office.
"I do not handle the finances, its not my job.
"Go to the house of traditional leaders, they are the ones that run the finances of my office," the chief said.
Maphango said the tribal office earned its revenue from rentals and tribal levies.
He said they paid R20 per annum for tribal levies and R10 for proof of residence and stock change of ownership letters.
tshehleb@sowetan.co.za
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