31 Aug 2014

Ngamiland District wildlife coordinator, Mr Bolt Otlhomile has dismissed allegations by some fishermen that government is intending to ban fishing at Lake Ngami.

He said in an interview that his department addressed the fishermen regarding issues of influx of illegal fishermen, squatter camps, environmental concerns due to lack of ablutions and the untidy environment.

“We were more concerned with the challenges caused by fishermen at the lake as they would also impact negatively on the community living in the surrounding villages. The situation is out of control at the lake due to the lucrative market and something has to be done to rectify the situation”, he said.

Mr Otlhomile said they communicated the matter with their superiors but were still waiting for the response, adding that “there is no instruction from our superiors on whether we should ban fishing at the lake”. 

He said government appreciated the fact that Lake Ngami was a source of income for the locals hence the need to preserve and take care of it.

This followed in the wake of reports by some fishermen at the lake who expressed disappointment that government had taken a decision to temporarily ban fishing if the fishermen failed to adhere to environmental conservation rules.

The fishermen said they were living in fear that their businesses might collapse despite lucrative markets in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

They said village leaders together with the officials from Department of Wildlife and National Parks warned them several times about the untidy environment in the area.

They said fishing has uplifted many people’s lives in the Ngamiland region, and therefore, stringent measures would result in loss of a source of income for those involved in the lucrative fishing business.

Mr Otlhomile said the district leaders and other stakeholders would convene a meeting next week to map the way forward regarding the matter.

 He said the matter is multi dimensional and his department cannot make a decision alone. 

He said currently, as the enforcement body, they had intensified patrol efforts to ensure the situation is under control.

He also explained that during their recent meetings, they encouraged fishermen to implement the decisions they made in the past meetings in addressing some of the key management challenges that had been difficult to deal with in the past.

He said they promise that they will ensure that the management of Lake Ngami achieves the ideals of environmental conservation and sustainable development. In addition, they promised to ensure that they work in a clean, attractive environment to maintain the beauty of the lake.
According to Mr Otlhomile, the land board allocated fishermen five temporary camp sites away from the lake and over time, they increased sites hence more littering and illegal fishing with the locals harboring foreigners who are not eligible to fish. 

“We hope that the launch of Sehithwa Development Trust Management Plan would facilitate prudent management of the Lake Ngami and ensure compliance with environmental regulations”, he added
The vice secretary of the Lake Ngami Fishermen Association, Ms Basenodi Wright appreciated the concerns raised by government and village leaders, but said efforts are underway to ensure that they hire some portable toilets. 

She said some camps are a step ahead in their efforts to ensure that they comply to the environmental regulations as their intention is to take the fishing industry to a higher level and ensure that it improves their standard of living. ENDS