22 Jun 2014

The Central district councillors have expressed divergent views over the Matimela Act of 1968 that became operational in 1969.

This came after the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Peter Siele had a consultation meeting with the councillors to get their views on if councils can still afford to maintain and be responsible for matimela. He said the question was prompted by the fact that back then when the act was implemented things such as feeds, medicine and personnel were not expensive.


He also said they should consider handling fees, which is charged at P2 per head and sustenance fee, which is P3 per day, including water and feeds, adding that they are currently kept for six months before they can be auctioned.

Mr Siele informed councillors that as he goes around the country consulting with morafe on how best matimela can be handled, he came across different views, with some people suggesting that the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) is better placed to deal with the issue while others suggest that the act should be cancelled and let people take care of their livestock.

Some councillors were of the view that MoA is better placed to deal with the issue because they are the ones who deal with brands and livestock medications. Councillor for Mabesekwa, Mr Selei Williams pointed out that since the ministry is the one responsible for brand registration and bolus insertion, it can be easy for them to identify the owners quickly and there by cutting costs of having to care for the animals.

Those who concurred with Mr Williams added that cattle without proper identification, animals should be auctioned in the shortest possible time, while some suggested that the Ministry of Local government should not shift the burden to other ministries as it is the one which is responsible for the well-being of the electorate and as such they should ensure that they give their interests priority.

They also suggested that government should consider increasing handling fees so that the owners would be encouraged to look after their livestock. 
 Councillor Bafana Motseothata said sometimes cattle go astray because some of the owners are old, from the low income class and sometimes ailing and if they are to be given to other ministries, they might end up losing them subjecting the owners to abject poverty.

“Since we are leaving in an information technology era, an arrangement can be made with veterinary department to assist with the identification process and the council charges a certain fee to try to recover the costs,” he said. The Minister promised councillors that their views would be taken into consideration at Parliament level before taking a final decision on what to do with matimela. ENDS