TRAILS OF THE YELLOW MONSTER
Over 20 family members displaced Some family members have built shacks on repossessed land Land board denies any foul play
The Bob family in Metsimotlhabe Block 4 area have been left in dire situation after their homes were demolished by the land board in December last year.
Four of the five homes were demolished after the Land Board got a court order over the debacle they had had with the family since early 2000.
The extended family has now built two shacks to temporarily house them while the rest are squatting at their mother’s home which now accommodates more than 25 people.
Others are scattered around the country in homes of relatives.
Kootsenye Bob, the 76-year-old mother of 10 is shattered by what the government has done to them. She complains of foul play. She says they were called for a meeting
at the Kweneng Land Board on the day her children’s homes were demolished to discuss an issue they had with the Board.
Bob laments that her children did not get an opportunity to salvage any of their belongings from their homes because everything was demolished.
Moreover, Bob explains that her family was intimidated by the security personnel that the land board came with on the day their homes were demolished because they were carrying guns.
She says the abrupt decision to demolish their homes has impacted even her school-going grandchildren citing that one of them struggled to concentrate in her JC exam and failed.
Imelda Bob, one of Kootsenye’s children is a mother of four. She and her husband built a shack to temporarily move into as they needed a roof over their heads.
Two of Bob’s children now live
with relatives in other towns. Imelda says this has negatively affected her family as they are now separated. Bob notes that this issue weighs heavily on her children as they have even lost weight and have struggled to process what has happened.
Moreover, Imelda is a mother of an eight-year-old epileptic child. Living in a shack has worsened her situation as the conditions do not favour a child who has multiple disabilities.
Imelda is not receiving any help from government for the disabled child, or for their homelessness. It has been difficult to survive the harsh weather conditions as the shack they live in leaks when it rains and there is barely any room for extension. The poorly ventilated home is not suitable for her children.
Kootsenye Bob notes that her family lives in constant fear as they do not know when government
will come back again to demolish their temporary homes.
Local land surveyor and land activist Gilbert Sesinyi questions the process that land board followed to demolish the houses of the families.
Sesinyi indicates that the government should have found an amicable solution to the problem, adding that the government has now created a bigger problem as the family is languishing in poverty.
The Chairman of Kweneng Land Board Kgang Kgang says there was a court order from 2016 which gave the Land Board permission to demolish the homesteads. Kgang stresses that the family did not appeal the court order at the land tribunal.
Kgang dismisses allegations of foul play on their side, as prior to the demolishing of the houses land board officials and members of the Botswana police went to see the families and notified them about the demolition.
Kgang notes that some families whose homes were demolished were able to ask for additional time to evacuate but the Bob family did not. Kgang stressed that the Bob family had blocked the development of 1 600 plots and they did everything within the constraints of the law.
Kgang appeals to the public not to vilify the Land board but to look at all sides of the story as their mandate as a Land board is to give people serviced land.
The councillor of Diagane, Jabuani Nchonchi is aware of the family’s situation and has offered them support on personal basis.