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Headman Reckson Hasani Makhubele shows the damage to his property.

House set alight in chieftainship battle

 

Two people were arrested on Friday on charges of arson, following a fire that broke out at a house belonging to headman Reckson Hasani Makhubele in Siyandhani village outside Giyani.

According to police spokesperson W/O Thomas Makhubele, the two suspects, aged between 18 and 27 years old, will soon appear in the Giyani Magistrate’s Court.

The incident followed a week of demonstrations by a section of the community. The unhappy villagers demanded that two of the headmen leave the area, accusing them of selling out their headman, Famadha Chavalala (Siyandhani), to Chief Penny Ngove.

The matter started in around 2007 when a multi-million-rand community project at Siyandhani Village was suspended, following to a dispute between the chief and his headman, Famandha Chabalala. The construction of the community centre, which was supposed to house a clinic, offices for the Department of Home Affairs and the tribal authority´s offices in the heart of the rural community, was meant to bring services closer to the people.

It is said that the Mabunda Tribal Authority, under the leadership of Penny Ngove, objected to the construction of the project in 2007, claiming that headman Famanda Siyandhani Chavalala had not consulted or informed them about the project. The community had received settlement claims of more than R10 million under the leadership of headman Siyandhani from the Land Claims Commission and opted for community offices.

Former deputy minister Thembelani Nxesi had tried to mediate between the two parties, but it seems that the matter was not solved and the project came to a halt.

One of the headmen, Reckson Hasani Makhubele, said he was shocked to see his people come and set fire to his house.

“There is a war over the chieftaincy and some people are using our own people and turning them against us by giving them wrong information” said Makhubele

The Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders' spokesperson, Eric Mdabula, appealed to people not to use violence but to follow the proper channels when resolving disputes.

 

Date:07 March 2014

By: Victor Hlungwani

Read: 9918

 

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