Bamalete land case returns to court on Tuesday
The controversial case in which Bamalete Land board is appealing the High court’s decision granting ownership of the disputed Forest Hill 9-KO farm to the Balete tribe will finally be heard by the Court of Appeal (COA) next week Tuesday.
Many Balete returned home disappointed in October last year after thronging CoA believing that their case will be heard only to be sent home after court told attorneys for both the applicants and defendants that they need to do proper filing.
Submissions were made late last year and the day has arrived for a final ruling to be made on the matter.
In 2017, Bamalete Landboard approached court seeking the cancellation of a title deed passed in favour of Bamalete tribe in respect of the farm, stating that they are the land authority in charge of all land.
Government also wants the Court of Appeal to direct Kgosi Mosadi Seboko of Ramotswa to hand over the title deed to the land. Paramount Chief of Balete Kgosi Seboko led her tribe to victory last year leaving government bitterly displeased hence the state’s recourse to the COA to decide the farm’s rightful owner between them and Balete.
The land board believes firmly that the land belongs to them arguing that the tribe gave the land to the land board willingly. They say the tribe is the one that made a request for the state to manage its various farms.
On the other hand, Bamalete have vowed to fight for their land with all their might. They have vowed to stand firm with Kgosi Seboko until the very end, even if she gets punished for disobeying government orders, they vow to stand with her. Early October last year and ahead of postponed CoA deliberations, the fierce Seboko made startling revelations about the country’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi. She revealed that Masisi told her that they (government) will take Forest Hill 9-KO land and he (Masisi) will give it back to Balete through his hand writing. “I asked him how he knew what the turnout of the case will be, given that the case was still before court, he said, he has already spoken to judges,” Seboko had said.
However, government responded saying the allegations uttered by Kgosi Seboko are baseless, misleading and devoid of the truth. “Members of the public are reminded that His Excellency the president has repeatedly said at different fora that he is addicted to the rule of law and there is no way that he can interfere with the due process of law,” the Ministry of State President said in response.