23 Apr 2015

Karakatea cluster in Mokubilo has an ambitious plan of becoming a production hub comparable to the likes of Pandamtenga if every member puts concerted efforts.

In a post cluster tour interview, a stone throw away from the village, cluster leaders were upbeat about their ambitious plans and were channeling their energies towards the completion of the fence, a result of which every member will be encouraged to de-bush and clear their fields.

In February, the fence was left with about two kilometres to complete a 670 hectares cluster, according to the cluster chairperson Ms Boitshwarelo Masole. Despite shortage of material, Ms Masole and her team were at work ensuring that their dream would not go to waste as they wake up every morning to assist those engaged to erect the fence.

Ms Masole and her secretary Ms Gaosotwe Masilo promised to have the fence completed expeditiously so that they could knock at every door soliciting assistance to drill a borehole within the cluster.

They were optimistic that companies in the Boteti region could help finance their ambitious plans if they craft winning proposals while simultaneously working hard on the cluster to prove they are worth the financiers’ hard-earned money.

“We want to move away from old fashioned farming and become a production group,” Ms Masole said at the top of her voice, emphasizing her commitment to the course.

However, the project will only succeed after completion of the fence that will thwart livestock from ravaging crops as has been the norm.

A project that has been started way back in the year 2000 is earmarked at easing off unemployment which rocks the village despite delays in coming to fruition. “It was only after President Khama ’surprise visit to the village that things started picking up pace until we finally received the first batch of materials,” Ms Masole claimed.

The delays, according to the chairperson and her secretary were as a result of their village being moved from Tutume Sub District into Boteti. This caused confusion on where the budget for their project will be footed from. She said that Tutume officials argued that the project had to be moved to Boteti since the village has been moved from their jurisdiction while Boteti could not bankroll a project approved elsewhere.

“Most of us are unemployed here and that is where we could be channeling our energies at,” the chairperson said about the benefits of cluster-fenced fields.

Since the regulations restricts livestock entry into the cluster fenced area, Ms Masole and company are planning to take their livestock into the communal grazing land while negotiating with some private landowners to allow them share the resource.

Though in some places people often took long to come to an agreement of being part of the cluster, for the Karakatea cluster was a smooth sailing.

Meanwhile, in Letlhakane Mr Johnson Kelaotswe of Mapete Lands has benefited from individual fencing for his 2.88 hectares of land in the previous ploughing season. Unlike, the Karakatea farmers it took him about a month and half to receive the fence.

He parted with about P4000 as 50 per cent down payment as stipulated in the regulations that individual farmers who do not have neighboring farms bordering them or cannot be clustered to be assisted with fencing material at 50 per cent subsidy to construct perimeter fences up to P70 000 and groups will be assisted to construct fences up to P200 000.  

Mr Kelaotswe expressed gratitude to the government for her benevolence towards his farming enterprise saying that he has managed to keep livestock at bay. “Farmers, planting with the aim of benefiting at the end have been struggling with reaping from their effort due to livestock,” Mr Kelaotswe observed.  

With the fence Mr Kelaotswe has seen his dreams get transformed since he can reap the fruits of his hard work. ENDS