With all legal jargon decoded and relevant dictums quoted, it will be a tale of no love lost when the Court of Appeal (CoA) hands down judgement in the land battle between Government and Balete tribe tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.
The dispute over Forest Hill farms has been before the courts since 2020 and has created a rift between the two, pushing the Paramount Chief of Balete, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko, to make a shocking public announcement to the effect that President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi was interfering in the judiciary.
In October 2022, Kgosi Seboko made revelations that President Masisi called him to a meeting with Minister of Minerals and Energy and MP for Ramotswa Lefoko Moagi where he indicated that the Court of Appeal was going to rule in government’s favour come rain or sunshine.
The President has denied the allegations and hit back recently, indirectly accusing Kgosi Seboko of playing a dangerous game of politicking.
Forest Hill farms include some parts of Kgale Hill, Mmokolodi village, and Rankoromane farms in Otse.
The government and Balete are at loggerheads on the ownership of these farms.
Balete said they purchased the land from the colonizers in the 1800s, while on the other hand, the government argues that the tribe handed the land when Landboards were established in the early 1970s.
The tribe vehemently denies it handed over the land.
With just over 20 months left before the next general elections, it may prove a serious dent on the ruling party’s chances of winning the Ramotswa constituency if the government was to win the case.
The area was under the opposition rule from 2014 to 2019 when Lefoko Moagi won the constituency in 2019.
It is still a stronghold for Botswana Congress Party and any decision that threatens the interests of the tribe is likely to antagonize them and they will most likely retaliate through the ballot.
