A community divided

All is not well in the Kgobudi community north west of Mokopane. Some community members say they are being prevented from burying their dead in the communal cemetery and denied proof of residency stamps by the local Induna because they are opposed to the way mineral prospecting was conducted on their communal land.
Jan Mantla, chairperson of the Kgobudi Community Forum, explains that people need a stamp from the local Induna or headman to prove their residency when they wish to open a bank account or purchase a sim card for a cellphone for Fica and Rica purposes. According to some community members, the Chief allegedly refuses to stamp papers for members of the Community Forum.
It all started on 26 September 2010 when John Kekana signed an agreement on behalf of the community with Platreef Resources, allowing the mining company to proceed with prospecting activities for platinum in his village. John Kekana is the local Induna, but his appointment in this position is being disputed by the Forum.
He is, however, endorsed by the Kgosi or Chief for the Mokopane tribal area, Victor Kekana. Victor  apparently also endorses Platreef’s activities on his tribal land despite the numerous complaints from members in his chiefdoms.
The Community Forum alleges that Victor refuses to pay heed to their argument that John Kekana is not their rightful chief. According to Mantla the real chief should be Langa Kekana, who was still a boy when his father, Induna Kgobudi Kekana passed away. Kgobudi’s brother, Moses, was to stand in as Induna until Langa was old enough to resume his position. But when Moses passed away, John, his eldest son took over.
Meanwhile John’s younger brother, Elias, got appointed as community liaison officer by Platreef Resources. He was the one that conducted the so-called community consultation meeting in September 2010 which led to the community’s rights being signed away, says Lesiba Lamola, a concerned member of the Kgobudi Community Forum.
Lamola explains that there was a community meeting to discuss the fate of a number of squatters on communal land on 26 September 2010. Because the issue only affected a small portion of the community not many people were present, “but this didn’t stop Elias Kekana from acting as headman and hijacking the meeting to present Platreef’s proposed agreement on prospecting activities on the communal land,” says Lamola.
“I was there that day and along with other village elders I implored the Kekana brothers not to sign the agreement until we have called a mass meeting and consulted with the entire community. But they paid me no heed and continued so sign the contract on behalf of the whole community,” Lamola laments.
Discontent has been mounting in the community ever since, but came to a head in December last year when Platreef Resources allegedly erected a fence to keep people out of communal fields. Blood flowed when 107 young people from the community, recruited by Platreef as security guards turned on community members who tried to access their agriculture fields on the other side of the fence. “It was a blood-fued that saw sons turning on their fathers,” says Lamola.
Now, these young people stand trial in the Mahwelereng magistrate’s court on charges of attempted murder. They were retrenched in May, when they each received a R10 000 retrenchment package from Platreef Resources and now have to face the legal consequences of their actions as security guards on their own.
After a complaint was lodged with the Human Rights Commission, Platreef’s agreement with the community was disbanded by the Department of Mineral Resources in February.
At the time of going to print Platreef’s spokesperson, Harry Dull, had not yet responded to written questions on this matter e-mailed to his office. Telephonically Dull explained that his response hat to be channelled through the Canadian company, Ivanhoe Mines, of which platreef is a subsidiary.
Northern News spoke to Elias Kekana who declined to comment, saying he was not allowed to talk to the media. He would not say why he was prohibited from speaking to the press and by who. He also refused to provide contact details for John or Victor Kekana.
Neither the Chief, nor the Induna’s contact details are listed in the local telephone directory and they could not be reached for comment.