03 Jul 2013

Boteti Sub-district Council incurs P2.5 million costs annually for the running of the livestock abattoir.

The sub-district council chairman, Mr Ketshwereng Galeragwe said the facility was operating at a loss as it only generated an annual income of P250 000.

Mr Galeragwe said the council charged P85 per head to slaughter a beast while the market price for such a service stood at P400. Speaking during a kgotla meeting addressed by lands and housing minister, who is also Boteti South MP, Mr Lebonaamang Mokalake in Letlhakane, Mr Galeragwe said Karowe Diamond Mine had promised to donate P3.5 million on condition that the sub-council also contributed an equal amount for the construction of a well-equipped slaughter facility.

Mr Galeragwe said the council was working hard to raise the funds that would result in construction of such a facility to serve the community better. However, he appealed to the community to come on board and venture into such business projects, adding that time would come when such services would be outsourced.

Senior assistant council secretary, Mr Motshwariemang Matseka said the abattoir was opened last week for slaughter after closing for almost two months to allow maintenance work.

Mr Matseka the facility was closed following an inspection by veterinary services department that it failed to meet minimum requirement standards. He advised people interested in venturing in such a business to submit an application to the the department.

A resident of Letlhakane, Mr Otsile Mmatakgomo had raised a concern about the prolonged closure of the abattoir, saying it had greatly inconvenienced meat dealers and the community as a whole. Mr Mmatakgomo said farmers had requested the council to give one butchery owner who had slaughter slabs authority to kill cattle as the council facility could not cope with the demand.

He said the local business people had been incuring costs because they had to travel long distances to seek slaughter services from other districts with such facilities. Mr Mmatakgomo decried shortage of stock feed at the Livestock Advisory Centre in Letlhakane.

Minister Mokalake had wanted an update on the maintenance of the Orapa quarantine kraals and on whether farmers at 4A had been assisted as they had requested for a veterinary officer to be designated to the area so that they could get adequate service.

An official of Department of Veterinary Services, Dr Kenny Macheng said maintenance of the Orapa quarantine kraals would be done during this financial year. He said farmers in the 4A shared a veterinary officer with those at Mokobaxane and they were in the process of availing an officer at 4A area.

On shortage of stock feed at LAC, Dr Macheng cited shortage of trucks as an impediment which hindered them from collecting stock from Francistown. “We even plan to establish a warehouse in Letlhakane where we can stockpile livestock feed as a way of addressing the shortage,” he said.

Dr Macheng advised farmers to use veterinary kraals at Metsiaela ward while Letlhakane kgotla kraal was still being maintained. ENDS