22 Apr 2015

Agricultural Resource Board and local authorities have resolved to take legal action against people who were found in possession of over 25 000 indigenous poles along Sehithwa/Shakawe road in 2012.

They also resolved to sell the confiscated poles through auction sale during a meeting held recently to discuss the long pending issue. 

The issue took long to resolve after the then district commissioner wrote a letter to the accused persons in 2012 and copied it to the director of department of forestry and range resources and Batawana paramount chief stating that it was wrong for the relevant department to confiscate the poles and charge the victims.

Those charged for illegal harvesting of natural resources were from Etsha 1, 6, 13, Ikoga and Sepopa. 

In her letter, the district commissioner also advised that the department could have first organised public education campaigns instead of charging people considering that Ngamiland was poverty stricken. 

She also stated that the accused should be warned and be given back their poles. The meeting decided that since some of the people from Etsha 1 and Sepopa had been charged, the rest should be treated same. 

They argued that the district commissioner’s letter was not binding as the law was clear that anyone found guilty should be charged.

For his part, forestry and range resources district coordinator, Mr Desmod Serero said in 2012, they found over 25 000 poles and droppers piled along the road and trucks loading the poles.

He said some people acquired permits to cut poles in their fields to prepare for ploughing seasons but only to find that they were harvesting in the communal areas.

“We traced the culprits and more than 40 were caught with no licences and all were investigated and the poles were confiscated. Culprits from Etsha 1 and Sepopa were dragged before Dikgosi and were punished accordingly,” he added.

Mr Serero said the culprits were fined P50 to P100 and some strokes while some approached the district commissioner on the matter hence her letter to the Forestry department. The secretary of the board, Mr David Mmui said the board rejected the DC’s letter as she was not above the law and they were implementing the law.

Mr Mmui said procedurally, the district commissioner was not supposed to write to the director but rather to plead with the board to warn the accused persons.  Lastly, stakeholders agreed to intensify public education on conservation of natural resources using different forums such as full council, meetings, workshops and kgotla meetings. ENDS