05 Oct 2014

Hardly a week after a tough ultimatum was given by the council authorities regarding the environmental concerns by fishing community around Lake Ngami, some fishermen have made effort to provide toilets structures at their camps.

Fishermen at Leobo Farm, Machaba, 1.8 camp and other camps have made positive strides in order to protect their businesses.  In an interview with some of the fishermen, they said they were left with no choice but to comply with the environmental regulations. 

They said fishing is their source of income hence the need to do the right thing to protect the image of the industry. They appreciated concerns by the authorities noting that failure to comply the challenges would also impact negatively on the community living in the surrounding villages.

Fishermen made a positive move after the assistant council secretary, Mr Uyapo Mafunye gave out a tough ultimatum during a kgotla meeting recently to either have toilets installed at the camp in the next two weeks or face closure. It was agreed that by October 2, the camps would be closed down if toilets are not availed.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of Sehithwa Crime Prevention Committee, Kgosi Kungairi Nguvauva told BOPA that they appreciated stringent measures taken by the relevant authorities.

He said environmental concerns of sanitation due to lack of ablutions and untidy environment were unbearable hence it forced the authorities to give out ultimatum. He said idea was to encourage fishermen to construct either temporary or permanent structures at the camp sites. 

“All we were interested in is for the fishermen to create a harmonious environment with relevant departments in order to fight crime rate that is happening at Lake Ngami,” he added.

Kgosi Nguvauva said as village leaders they appreciated the fact that Lake Ngami is a source of income for the locals hence the need to preserve and take care of it.

He raised a concern about the influx of illegal fishermen, squatter camps noting that it was agreed that squatters should join other camps.

He also complained about people who fish without licences noting that his committee would soon embark on an operation to check how many have licences. It was reported during the meeting addressed by Mr Mafunye that only 140 fishing licenses have been issued yet the camps have 1 475 people which is a hazard to the environment, especially in the absence of toilets.

Kgosi Nguvauva noted that so far rubbish bins had been provided. Ends