Johannesburg - North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo has set up a commission of inquiry to probe the protracted and bitter battle over the riches and leadership of three tribal mining communities in the province.
The feuds in the royal families of Bakgatla Ba Kgafela, Batlhako Ba Leema and Bapo Ba Mogale, all found in platinum-rich mining land, have ended up in the courts over leadership and alleged mismanagement of mining rights royalties.
This week Mahumapelo, who has been dragged into the traditional leadership disputes through court cases and was accused of doing little to probe the disappearance of tribal community funds, gazetted the creation of the inquiry.
The probe will focus on the succession disputes of Kgosi Tidimane Ramono Pilane of Bakgatla Ba Kgafela, discontent among Batlhako over the appointment of Kgosi Leema Batleng’s widow as regent and the legitimacy of Bapong royal family. The hearings into the Bakgatla Ba Kgafela affairs began this week and will run until next week.
The community of Bapo Ba Mogale has been up in arms recently with mismanagement of their mining rights royalties that are also subject of a probe by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.
According to Madonsela’s preliminary findings, more than R600 million of Bapo Ba Mogale’s mining rights royalties have been pillaged without the poor community being able to exact accountability.
Madonsela is investigating allegations of maladministration of the tribe’s mining royalties since 1994.
In July she told the community located along the abundantly wealthy platinum belt that their royalties account managed by the North West government, where mining companies including Lonmin deposited funds, had been ransacked and left empty.
“What it means is that all the money you earned has been spent,” Madonsela said at the time.
“The paymaster who was controlling the account was the North West government. We established there was no trust or trust account nor oversight over this money.”
Madonsela found the largest amount, R80m, was spent on building tribal chief Emius Mogale a luxury palace that local people likened to Nkandla, President Jacob Zuma’s controversial homestead.
Madonsela is expected to release her final report on the management of the Bapo’s royalties and the role played by provincial political leaders before her term ends next month.
However, the divided tribal community of Bapong also wanted her office to look into the current financial affairs of the tribal authority. They alleged, among others, that two years ago Lonmin poured millions of rand into the tribal council for local economic development, but the community had yet to see the benefits.
Another source of tension in Bapong is the relationship between the Mogale clan and its sub-clans which are locked in disputes over the legitimacy of those in the royal family.
Mahumapelo’s commission is tasked with getting to the bottom of the legitimacy of royal family and determine the rightful successor to the bogosi of the Bapo traditional community. The inquiry into the three royal families traditional leadership disputes is headed by Judge George Maluleke supported by Advocate Sesi Baloyi and Professor Mahlomi Moleleki.
Political Bureau