04 Feb 2018

Assistant minister of Basic Education, Mr Moiseraele Goya says the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism has increased the allocation for 2017/18 to P21.9 million to reduce backlog which was caused by the increase in compensation to 100 per cent for damage caused by elephants and lions in 2014 and the drought conditions which prevailed prior to heavy rains experienced at the beginning of 2017.

Responding to a question from Kgosi Peter Chika III of Chobe region on behalf of Minister Tshekedi Khama, he said the funds allocated for the current financial year had been exhausted, but that the ministry anticipated that additional funds would be provided in the upcoming financial year to continue clearing the backlog.

Kgosi Chika III had asked the minister to consider increasing the budget allocation for the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in order to compensate farmers timeously to avoid compensation backlog as it currently dated back to 2016/17.

On another issue, Mr Goya told the house on behalf of the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism that the ministry was constrained to divert a portion of the revenue generated by visitors to protected areas by the requirement that such revenues be deposited in the central government coffers.

He said the ministry was looking at innovative avenues such as through the proposed tourism development levy to raise funds for infrastructure maintenance within national parks and game reserves to ensure that the experience that was offered to visitors was of the highest standard.

Kgosi Chika III had asked the minister about the view that as Chobe National Park was one of the tourist destinations of choice in Africa, if he would consider allocating 10 per cent of the revenue generated to the park to assist in maintaining roads and facilities like camps and machinery procurement as the park was facing shortage of funds. ENDS