15 siblings fight over 59-hectares of inheritance land
What was once a united family bound by love and resilience has erupted into a bitter inheritance battle that has split 15 siblings right down the middle, with eight pitted against seven over a 59-hectare piece of land in Chadibe North, under the Marapong Land Board.
The land belonged to their late father, Ntshwarisang Mothobi, who passed away on August 17, 2016, at the age of 96. Their mother who is said to still be alive has allegedly taken the side of her second-born son, Dzikamani Mothobi, now at the centre of the dispute. Due to the dispute, half of the siblings haven’t been home to see their mother since 2023.
According to the aggrieved siblings, the land was temporarily registered in Dzikamani’s name purely on traditional grounds, as he was the eldest male child, following the custom that allowed male children to hold land on behalf of the family where the first-born was female.
“The understanding was clear the land was to be shared among all siblings once we came of age,” said the sibling’s representative Lingilani Mothobi.
However, that understanding has now collapsed, with siblings accusing Dzikamani who is reportedly a Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) agent, of refusing to relinquish ownership and allegedly manipulating documentation to secure permanent control of the land.
At the heart of the dispute is an original letter allegedly issued by the late Chadibe Village chief Kgosi Aaron Nyambe, which explicitly stated that Dzikamani would only hold the land in trust until his siblings were old enough. That letter, siblings say, has mysteriously disappeared.
Instead, a newly produced letter, dated August 2010 and stamped August 2016, three days after their father’s death, has surfaced. The siblings insist the letter is fake and was stamped and signed three days after their after died, raising serious questions about its authenticity.
“They must bring the letter that gave me temporary ownership here so we all appreciate it, there was never such a letter, if I committed fraud then they better prove it because I will see them in court” warned Dzikamani.
The matter was first presented before the Chadibe Kgosi, Mmoloki Kajata, who the complainants allege is a former classmate of the accused, a connection they believe compromised the handling of the case. In an interview, Kgosi Majata indicated that the only people he can share information with are the Mothobi family.
“I have no comment for the media at this time, the only people whom I can divulge this information to are the Mothobi family” He explained.
Adding to the controversy, the letter bears a stamp from one police sub-inspector, Chabe, whom they claimed had been transferred from Chadibe Police Station to Tatitown in 2013, years before the date on the letter.
During an interview with this publication, officer Chabe hung up and blocked the reporter. Efforts to further reach her failed.
The siblings further allege that the land certificate currently held by Dzikamani does not appear back-to-back, a feature they claim casts doubt on its legitimacy. The family further raised serious allegations of corruption against the Marapong Land Board, accusing it of failing to act transparently.
“We have repeatedly asked for minutes from the Land Board sitting that approved the certificate, but they have refused to provide them,” Lingilani added
Efforts to reach the Ngwato Land Board for comment laid no fruits as its public relations lines rang unattended to.
The dispute has since been appealed at the Donga Customary Court in Francistown, who indicated that fraud cases are above their job description. The enraged siblings have since further filed a police report at Tatitown police station against their brother Dzikamani Mothobi for forgery of stamps. The forgery case has since been transferred to the High Court and is awaiting hearing.
