06 Mar 2017

The Kanye District Road Safety Commitee has yesterday cautioned livestock farmers lined along the Kanye-Mmathethe road to keep their animals away from the road.
Speaking to farmers at Gamarotswana cattle crash yesterday the principal district assistant officer for the Kanye Administrative Authority (KAA) Mrs Thapelo Lesolame said stray livestock caused accidents.

She argued that controlling livestock movement would curb avoidable accidents especially along the Kanye Mmathethe road.
She explained that the purpose of the workshop was to encourage farmers to keep their livestock away from the roads in an effort to reduce road mishaps.

Mrs Lesolame said it was also a blow for any farmer to lose livestock to road accidents adding that livestock farming contributed significantly to the economy of the nation.
Sejelo Police traffic officer assistant supt. Ernest Sesenyi shared that they recorded 89 road accidents from 2014 to 2016, in which 132 animals were involved.
Supt Sesenyi meanwhile revealed that some farmers broke water pipes along the road for cattle to drink which he said attracted them to the roads.   

The Department of Roads technical officer Ms Phenyo Malgas warned that stray livestock were susceptible to eating garbage or human waste which could render their meat unfit for consumption.
Ms Malgas also urged the villagers to stop vandalising road signs and keep the gates closed.

In his vote of thanks, Farmers Committee chairperson Ms Kewanyena Warona said the workshop would encourage farmers to work together. Ms Warona also pleaded with farmers to stop cutting livestock control fences along the roads.
He also advised government to use unique livestock movement control gates with a view to make it difficult for farmers to steal. END