BDP’s Moruakgomo in land-claim fight with granny

TEFO PHEAGE

Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) parliamentary aspirant Mpho Moruakgomo is in a big tussle with a 90-year-old Mochudi woman, Matloleng Pilane, who accuses him of conniving with his cousin Shimane Moruakgomo to ‘grab’ part of her farmland.
In correspondences seen by The Botswana Gazette to the Land Tribunal, Pilane who has battled the cousins for several years now, says Shimane Moruakgomo allocated his politician cousin part of her field and that while Shimane was himself removed from the land by the Kgatleng Land Board, Mpho Moruakgomo was able to hang on using his influence. In fact, Pilane is concerned that her evidence could vanish considering Moruakgomo’s power and influence in the Kgatleng district.
According to Pilane, Moruakgomo’s power is such that he even misses several land board meetings, thereby stalling progress on the matter. She says while all of her witnesses are now dead, the land belongs to her and her children.
In 2015 the Kgatleng Land Board ruled that Moruakgomo should be allowed to keep the land as it was realigning and resizing Pilane’s plot as per the law. Moruakgomo himself dismisses Pilane’s claims and says he has engaged lawyers to defend his right to own the land.
Pilane however says changes were made, including in minutes of official meetings, to advance Moruakgomo’s interests.
Moruakgomo will contest the Mochudi East constituency which was held by the late Isaac Davids who was recently murdered following a dispute with his farmworkers. The writ of election for the by-election is yet to be issued.
Another BDP MP wins tribunal old woman
Meanwhile Boteti East MP, Sethomo Lelatisitswe has won all his land grabbing cases against the 78-year-old Gaboitsewe Maphane as well as the latest appeal which was recently heard, involving sons of the late Moitobi who were fighting to save their father’s land.