The royal family of the Bakwena ba Mogopa in Bethanie in North West has complained to the provincial government about two men who claim to represent the government are allegedly trying to steal the Âcommunity’s mining wealth.
Solly Ranamane and Langa Thibini are accused of trying to muscle out the legitimate legal advisers of the Bakwena ba Mogopa, Bell Dewar, in a bid to seize control of the community’s riches. In dispute is a R467-million deal between the Bakwena and Swiss mining company Xstrata.
Ranamane and Thibini have apparently told community members and other key stakeholders that they were deployed by Sicelo Shiceka’s ministry of cooperative governance and traditional affairs to North West communities.
But Shiceka’s spokesperson, Vuyelwa Vika, said neither the ministry nor the department was aware of the Bakwena ba Mogopa case. “We have not deployed any person to assist this community,” Vika said. Ranamane’s lawyer, Krish Naidoo, however, said his client had been appointed by the traditional council.
Documents in the Mail & Guardian‘s possession show that Xstrata and Bell Dewar resisted pressure from Ranamane and Thibini to cede control of the community’s assets, insisting they had legally signed binding agreements with the Bakwena.
Where it all started
The dispute started in January last year when Ranamane, then acting chief executive of the Bakwena ba Magopa traditional council, told Bell Dewar that any communication with the community or the royal house must pass through him.
He requested documents from Bell Dewar relating to the Xstrata transaction, including the lease agreement, transaction agreement, trust deeds and title deeds. He had arrived in December 2009, apparently after being appointed by Shiceka’s department to workshop with traditional councils in North West.
Ranamane is said to have offered administrative assistance to the community. “We were under the impression that he was helping Kgosi [Mamogale] and the community,” said the chief’s mother, Kelebogile.
In a letter to former North West premier Maureen Modiselle, Kelebogile accused Ranamane of alienating Kgosi Mamogale from the community and from government officials. Ranamane had threatened those who did not agree with him “using the office of the minister”.
The chief’s mother also feared for her safety: “Should anything happen to me and my family, you should know that it is in connection with the issues raised in this letter.”
Vandalism
There have been several break-ins at the royal house, including the residences of the chief and his mother, say royal house sources. The latest took place at Kelebogile’s apartment in Pretoria three weeks ago, when laptops with information about the Bakwena’s business interests were stolen.
Cars had also been broken into or smeared with blood and the chief was hijacked last year according to members of the royal house who asked not be named for fear of retaliation.
Thibini wrote to Bell Dewar in his capacity as managing director of Ledikeng Investments, saying a community meeting had appointed his company as the Bakwena’s legal and transaction advisers.
But the chief dismissed this as a lie and disowned the signature on the alleged meeting resolution.
Thibini told the M&G the National Traditional Governance and Framework Act provides for the appointment of a deputy chairperson and Charles Mamogale, one of the chief’s uncles, was appointed as such at a council meeting where the chief was present. Since June 2010 he has chaired all council meetings from which the chief was absent.
Thibini also wrote to Xstrata’s chief executive in Switzerland, Mick Davis, asking the mining company to deposit the Bakwena’s royalties into Ledikeng’s account.
Xstrata said it had rejected the demand. “Xstrata is legally obliged to pay all royalties … to the account under the care of the North West premier’s office,” said the mining company’s spokesperson, Songezo Zibi.
But Thibini denied this claim. He said he had asked Xstrata to pay the money into the traditional council’s account because “the R97-million held by Xstrata was depreciating and Ledikeng advised that the funds be placed with a reputable financial institution to be optimised for the benefit of the community”.
The Xstrata empowerment deal with the Bakwena ba Mogopa was due to be closed at the end of May last year, but the deadline has been extended because of the dispute.
Kgosi Mamogale suspended Ranamane in October last year. Last week Ranamane was found guilty of misconduct by a disciplinary committee, a process Naidoo said his client did not recognise.