22 Nov 2017

North East District Council chairperson, Ms Florah Mpetsane says the human wildlife conflict was a concern in the district as elephants continue to destroy fences, property and water tanks.

Addressing a full council session in Masunga on November 20, the chairperson said the elephants were resident and migratory population due to present forage and water at man-made dams such as Dikgatlhong and Ntimbale.

Ms Mpetsane highlighted that from the month of September to October groups of elephants were sighted at Matsiloje, Matopi and Patayamatebele, adding that such elephants were now residents as they spent most of the time on Botswana side.

She further noted that another group of elephants was seen in Ntimbale, Sekakangwe, Mbalambi and Gungwe villages.

She said the Department of Wildlife and National Parks implemented the use of chilli peper to deal with the situation at Matopi, Patayamatebele and Matsiloje.

She stated that the department also intended to conduct a study that would inform the management on the decision-making regarding the situation, adding that compensation of wildlife damages were covered by the department.

The chairperson stated that the district was funded at the tune of P3.4 million this financial year under the poverty eradication programme.

She said the funds catered for backlog eradication in all implementation sectors except for animal production, where only 56 projects out of 226 were managed.

She indicated that an additional P1 million was allocated to the district to further help reduce backlog.

Currently a total of 58 projects were being addressed.

Ms Mpetsane announced that the long-awaited de-bushing project between Botswana and Zimbabwe borderline was progressing well.

She said a total of P441 338 was allocated for this project covering an area of 60 kilometres between Jackalas 1 and Jackalas 2 being de-bushed through an engagement of six youth companies, who managed to employ 60 people in total.

Ms Mpetsane said water supply across the district had been stable since September, as there were no major interruptions to the water supply infrastructure.

However, she said due to system design limitations, water supply to villages of Jackalas 1 and Senyawe continued to be a challenge, noting that Water Utilities Corporation had since stationed a bowser dedicated to the area.

The chairperson highlighted that government had approved and set aside funds for the development of a tourism plan for Ntimbale Dam.

She said Botswana Tourism Organisation was working on appointing a consultant to undertake preparation of Ntimbale Tourism Master Plan.

She stated that crime was under control, thanks to collaborative efforts between members of the community and the police. ENDS