Unlawful prohibition of the march against Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi of the Bafokeng 'tribe'

The Rustenburg Local Municipality refused permission for the protest march against the Bafokeng chief this coming Saturday 02 October 2010, saying that the Luka Community must first get permission from the very same people they are marching against! The march organised by the Bafokeng Anti-repression Campaign will nevertheless continue...Phistus Mekgwe and Violet Makobe asserted.
The Conveners say they will contest the prohibition in Court, and will expose the level of influence the Bafokeng enjoys on structures of goverment in the area, including the local Bafokeng Magistrates Court!They say they did whatever was possible to satisfy the illegal demands by the Municipality, and complied with all legal requirements for the notification of the march.They say this is the worst kind of repression, to suppress peoples' Constitutional rights to freedom of association and protest. A number of such applications have been refused in the area thus far on unreasonable and unjustifiable grounds. The communities are not able to exert and protect their rights.... and the challenge has always been that they cannot find or afford legal representatives who are not linked to Bafokeng.

Protest March Against the Bafokeng Chief Leruo Molotlegi

The Community of Luka Village, will embark on another protest march on the 02nd October 2010 in what has been termed the 'Bafokeng Anti-repression Campaign'. The March will start at Mogono circle, Luka Clinic and Thethe High School at 12pm. Bafokeng Land Buyers Association has been invited to support the campaign as it is believed to be 'tactical work' on the ongoing land claims in Mafikeng High Court. Follow the following links on the 'repression': Tuckshop owners in Luka Village, Bafokeng, fights back!; Demolition of tuckshops and eviction of backyard dwellers

Another successful milestone towards Bafokeng Communities’ land claims

On the 26th August 2010, the Mafikeng High Court declared a number of Communities forming the Bafokeng ‘tribe’ as ‘respondents’ to the Royal Bafokeng Nation’s application to have a number of farms registered and transferred in the latter’s name and favour.
The Communities, now respondents on the matter, are opposing the RBN’s application. The RBN’s main application is contained in an affidavit that is 3000 pages long. The RBN initially insisted that the Communities file their answering/opposing affidavits by October 2010. The Communities contested that filing by October 2010 would be practically impossible and that nine months would afford them a reasonable period for them to compile a comprehensive response.
 The Communities argues that the RBN had all the years to compile their long affidavit, that it would be an unfair expectation to get the poor Communities to compile their opposing affidavits in less than three months. The Communities argues further that the RBN are enjoying the extravagant use of the tribal funds to further their ‘unjust’ cause, while the Communities, albeit being the Bafokeng, and therefore the owners of the tribal funds, have not been afforded access to financial resources towards their litigation costs.
 In the end, the Court ordered, by agreement, that the Communities file their opposing affidavits within six months (that is by end of February 2011).