21 Oct 2014

Kgosi Lesoma Lesoma has raised a concern about barrow pits created by illegal mining within the village. 

Kgosi Lesoma said the pits endangered the lives of both residents and domestic animals. He said he had noticed that there were two main areas in the village where people were harvesting sand without licences. 

The first area is located along the Zimbabwean-Botswana border whilst the other is located near Lesoma Monument. Most of the illegal miners, he said, used trucks to load the harvested sand. Consequently, he added that he had approached a few of the truck owners who had mentioned that they had permits to carry out such mining activities.

Furthermore, he said illegal harvesting of sand not only destroys the environment but also poses a threat to villagers and animals as the unstable land could cave over residents and animals could fall in the barrow pit.

“I find it disturbing that police officers are not taking strict measures to catch these perpetrators,” Kgosi Lesoma said.

Chobe district council principal physical planner, Mr Nchunga Kanyenvu said no permits had been issued by the council noting that the department of mines in Francistown was responsible for issuing permits. He further said the forestry departments had been following such issues.

Village Development Committee chairperson, Ms Nthusang Ernest explained that Kgosi Lesoma informed them during a Kgotla meeting that they could harvest the soil found near the monument but expressed worry that people who were not residents come into the village and harvest the soil illegally. 

Kasane principal forestry and range resources officer, Ms Keamogetse Tselakgosi said her department’s main concern was sand harvesting within forest reserves. She mentioned that there were conservation members in each village that reported the harvesting of sand in Lesoma village.

Ms Tselakgosi said she finds it hard to believe that these illegal sand miners were not aware of the offence they were committing.

“ Every year the committee goes around the district sensitising people on tree planting, utilisation of natural resources, prohibited acts in the various forest reserves, just to name a few,” she noted. ENDS