Pandamatenga, Lesoma and Kazungula (PALEKA) Trust beneficiaries are now pinning their hopes on environment and tourism minister Wynter Mmolotsi to address the alleged mismanagement of funds and lack of accountability issues that have been bedevilling the Trust for some time.
This followed the presentation of a petition by PALEKA beneficiary villages Task Team to the Mmolotsi recently.
When presenting the petition, the Task Team Publicity and Media Liason Person, Itumeleng Takhwri raised concerns about the actions of the Trust’s interim board of trustees which they believe constitute misconduct and potentially illegal activities.
He indicated that these issues include misconduct and potentially illegal activities, specifically failure to produce an audited financial report, misuse of public funds, failure to hold general meetings, unauthorised business contracts, failure to declare conflict of interest, and engagement of the community in endless law suits.
Responding to the presentation, Mmolotsi assured the Task Team that they will review the petition and take the necessary steps to ensure that the issues are resolved as per the Law.
“We will come to the three villages that make up the PALEKA Community Trust, so that we listen to what the communities have to say and have an idea of what communities want us to do,” he said.
He also told the Task Team that they have promulgated the CBNRM Law, which will regulate the actions of the community trusts and ensure that communities benefit from their natural resources appropriately.
In an interview, Kgosi Rebecca Banika of Pandamatenga has indicated that the Kgotla meetings that the minister promised to address in their villages would allow community members to express their concerns and ideas on PALEKA issues. Banika said that the communities’ comments on the current issues affecting PALEKA Trust would allow the ministry to come up with resolutions.
She indicated that the Interim Board of Trustees for PALEKA have long promised to hold Annual General Meeting (AGM) and are also failing to consult community members on trust issues. As such, she is hopeful that the minister’s Kgotla meetings will enable them to express those challenges.
PALEKA Communities Task Force Chairperson, SKhumbuzo Meshack has also told this publication that the decision by the minister to consider addressing Kgotla meetings in the three villages would play a very important role in resolving some of the issues affecting their resources.
One of the residents from Kazungula village has raised a concern about the delay of submission of Audited Financial Reports to the community by the interim board.
“I am hopeful that with the new CBNRM Law which was passed by Parliament, these issues will be resolved as the law gives the director and minister the powers,” he anonymously told this publication.
