HOLY WAR FOR LAND
Pentecostal church refuses to vacate plot Minister Rakgare vows to kick church out Land owner unknown, but church pays rent Land Board has no land certificate
Member of Parliament for Mogoditshane Tumiso Rakgare says they are giving Divine Fortress Worldwide Church situated at Ledumadumane exactly six months to pack up and go.
According to him, the church is occupying land illegally. “It appears due processes were not followed when the church was allowed to temporarily ‘rent’ the open space which council intended on turning into a recreational park,” he said.
An unamused Rakgare shared early this week that when he became Member of Parliament in 2019, the people of Ledumadumane complained to him that they can no longer take it with the loud noise coming from the church. In fact, a petition has even reached the Ministry of Local Government, with residents raising complaints about the church and its unbearable noise.
He then promised to handle the matter by meeting with those responsible at council level. “I must admit, it has not been easy gathering facts on this matter but I had intended to go to the highest office if need be in pursuit for answers. What I can now say is that I have a letter here with me that orders that the church can only occupy that place up to the 31st of May 2021,” Rakgare said.
Rakgare, who is also the minister of youth empowerment, sport and culture development said there are many stories that do not add up as to how the church ended up being there, saying it seems there was some kind of agreement reached between the church and the Village Development Committee (VDC). The church has allegedly been paying rent to VDC for use of the land but strangely, no one knows where the rent money has been going.
However, Prophet Jeff Ezekiel Matshaba of Divine Fortree is defiant:
“I am not leaving. We have been talking about this for the past five years. Rakgare does not want to meet with me. It’s like the man has a problem with me but refuses to face me. My church is not leaving
and it’s final.”
Matshaba told this publication that he is being treated like some kind of a criminal yet he signed a lease contract with VDC back in 2015.
VDC, he said, had advertised the plot looking for people who can temporarily occupy it. Matshaba was the chosen one and the agreement was such that he pays rent of P550 per month and the rent will escalate by 5% on an annual basis. He was also told that he can erect temporary premises to be used while renting the place.
Should VDC need its land back, all they had to do was inform him through writing and he will move.
A few months into his contract, he received complaints that villagers were not happy and accusing his church of being too loud. “I reduced worship hours, hoping it would give them peace but I heard they still wanted me to go,” he said.
As time went by, he told VDC that he needed water and electricity to be installed at the plot and they began playing hide and seek with him. Matshaba would soon realize that VDC was not in possession of the plot certificate, suggesting that they have been fraudulently renting out a plot that did not belong them.
“Even after this realization, I kept quiet about it but they began fighting me and I sensed war, so I went ahead and applied for the plot since land board had confirmed to me that it was a free land. But I have never stopped paying rent, I still pay up to today. I even cross checked the banking details I was given and they belong to the council, meaning the council is receiving rent money on a monthly basis,” Matshaba said.
The prophet said his Pentecostal church has over 500 followers and was founded back in 2014. “I think this is a political battle and I am part of a campaign strategy. I sense I am not wanted, Rakgare long knew about this matter before he became an MP. I hear that he has vowed to have me removed and I wonder what wrong I have done,” said the prophet.
VDC chairperson, Patricia Lebang said she knows nothing about the church. “We were never told anything about the church renting that place or where the money goes. Nonetheless, I am aware that there are issues surrounding it. As a resident of Ledumadumane, I am equally concerned, we have nothing against the church but we want to understand why the community is so angry. If indeed Matshaba is a man of God he should be able to listen to the cries of the people, we are now bitterly divided over this issue.
Thabo Shavwa who identified himself as a former VDC member shared that the plot belongs to Council. However, documents to prove such have allegedly disappeared.
“I was a member of Ledumadumane VDC back in 2013 and I saw that certificate. I handed all to the incoming committee back then but now I hear the certificate has gone missing; what is even more shocking is that the Land Board equally does not have a copy,” he said.
Shavwa senses that something fishy is going on, saying there is more to the matter than meets the eye. “A friend of mine just told me he went to Land Board to enquire and the plot has been given to one individual whom we have not identified as yet. Maybe it has been given to the church people, who knows?” he said.
Another concerned resident added that it is impossible to say no one can claim ownership of the land. “How is that possible when the council developed that plot before arrival of the church? They found the place fenced and an ablution block built. Are we now calling the Council, squatters too? How does government develop land which does not belong to them?” he asked.
He added that they are heavily disappointed in their area councillor who is also a member of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Otlaadisa Kgwathalala. He says Kgwathalala supports the church being there and it was disappointing that together with VDC, they agreed to rent out the place at a low price of P500.
On the other hand, Kgwathalala said he has been left disappointed by Minister Rakgare.
“We are not being fair on those church people, we are the ones in the wrong and we need to own up to our mistakes. What will happen to their structure? Again, Land Board has not given us that land and there is no land certificate that says we are the owners. We applied for it and still waiting, meaning anyone can still apply for it and get it,” he said.
Mogoditshane Sub Land Board Deputy Chairman, Michael Seitshiro, without explaining clearly who the rightful owner of the plot is, said he is shocked that the Minister said they have taken a decision to remove the church within six months.
“I am actually surprised that a decision has been reached, I wish for the MP to direct me to whoever was handling this matter at council level, I thought we were still finding solutions to the matter,” he said.
This however, is shaded by the response from the council:
Kweneng District Council chairperson Motlhophi Leo said as far as they are aware, the piece of land belongs to them. “We have the documents to that effect, I do not understand why he would say such a thing,” he said.