Local News
Government responds to Bapo-Ba-Mogale clan problems─── CATHY DLODLO 11:23 Sat, 30 Jul 2016
Brits - The North West provincial government says it is willing to cooperate with an investigation into the finances and spending of millions belonging to the Bapo-Ba-Mogale traditional community in Bapong near Brits.
Brian Setswambung, spokesperson for the premier, says it is, however, unfair to blame the current government for problems around the community’s D-account that have been dragging on for years.
This account is used by the community so that mining companies can deposit loyalties - owed to the community for mining on their ancestral land - in it.
But, during a meeting yesterday, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela told the community that the account is supposed to be more than R600 million strong, but the balance is less than half a million.
Meanwhile, the North West provincial government says the Traditional Council has been using a different account since 2014.
Madonsela said some of the money in the account was used to build the palace for which the initial budget was R20 million but the cost ballooned to R80 million. She said her office will release a report on the matter soon.
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