MAHIKENG MAIL - MAHIKENG: The community of Lokaleng in Mahikeng last week Thursday disrupted the much anticipated Stakeholder’s briefing of North West Housing Corporation, relating to the development of the new students city projects that expected to house more ten students of the North West University in Lokaleng Village.
The event, to which several music artists and celebrities had been invited, including Ntate Stunna and many other important dignitaries, was blocked by angry residents of Lokaleng, demanding answers on why North West Housing Corporation was hosting a briefing while they knew that there was legal land disputes before the court regarding the land which belonged to the local chieftainship under Barolong Boora Tshidi. However, the land dispute is under appeal, after North West Housing Corporation won the first legal dispute on merit that the land was donated to the entity through a EXCO resolution to develop the land.
The meeting, which was intended to address concerns and provide information about the project, quickly turned confrontational as residents expressed their outrage and frustration that the matter was before the court, and no development was to take place until the court had resolved the land dispute between the residents and North West Housing Corporation.
Many of the residents also felt that their voices were not being heard and that the government was pushing forward with the development without adequately considering the impact on the community and adhering to the court judgement.
As tensions escalated, the briefing was cancelled and ultimately abandoned, leaving many questions unanswered and the community’s concerns unaddressed. Service providers were seen dismantling the structures set up and the public proceeded to take some of the food meant for the event.
It was alleged that R250 000 of tax payers money was used to fund the event and service providers had already been paid for an event that did not take place.
CEO of the NWHC, Sello Mogodiri, responded to the matter and said, “It is not the money that the entity has paid. It is what was projected to be paid, but now there are some service providers that have not performed, like the artists. It means that money will be lost. We cannot be run by hooligans - and if hooligans say we must stop going work, we will not stop. We will go to work and we will conduct the business of government.” Meanwhile, the North West Legislature Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements, and Traditional Affairs, led by Kgalalelo Makgokgowa, formally called on 14 March on MEC Gaoage Molapisi, to immediately halt all mega and smart city projects and to place NWHC CEO, Sello Mogodiri, on precautionary suspension pending a full scale investigation.
This decisive action follows an urgent special meeting convened by the committee in response to disturbing revelations surrounding an event at Lokaleng village, which cost taxpayers R250 000 and ended in failure. Further concerns have emerged over NWHC’s attempts to push forward projects on land still under dispute, disregarding ongoing land claims.
