Tsholotsho RDC agree to sign MOU with San people

Tsholotsho Rural District Council (TRDC) have agreed to sign a Memorundum of Understanding (MOU) with  the san people in order to collaborate with the marginalized tribe on issues to do with development and leadership in their communities as they sought to have councilors, chiefs, headmen and village heads elected and installed among themselves.

Tsoro-o-otso Development Trust director Davy Ndlovu confirmed the developments. He said San people through him submitted their document of concerns and letter seeking an MOU working relation with the TRDC so as to foster development of their communities and individual progress.

Tsoro-o-otso Development Trust is an organization lobbying for the upliftment and recognition of the san people.

"We submitted our MOU request to the council recently and the council officials advised us that the document will have to go through the full council meeting for discussions before it is endorsed and signed," said Ndlovu.

He said the council officials  then advised them to go on with their programmes of development but to always advise the council of what they will be doing.

"We just believe and hope they will sign the document and we will soon start working with them in everything we do," he said.

Ndlovu also said after the submission of their MOU request document, they then asked for a meeting with all stakeholders in the district so that they (San) express their concerns on all issues affecting them. The meeting was held at the TRDC offices in Tsholotsho centre.

He said they  told the stakeholders that they  are not involved in many developmental programmes in the district just because we have no own councilors, Chiefs, headmen and village heads.

"We asked authorities to assist us have the leadership so as to conduct developmental programmes and our leaders will be coordinating with the local authority. As of now we do not have leaders to do that hence we are automatically left out," he said.

Ndlovu said the councilors present at the meeting were so supportive to the San people's ideas and concerns and they promised to assist them in their lobbying.

TRDC Chief Executive Officer Themba Moyo was not reachable for comment yesterday as his mobile was not getting through.