14 Oct 2018

President Mokgweetsi Masisi has strongly condemned campaigns leveled against Botswana by some interest groups, saying the contents of such petitions were devoid of logic.

He said this in an interview on October 12 in London, following a two-day Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) conference, where he gave a keynote address.

He said all the campaigns made against him and the government that he leads were neither based on science nor any evidence, but on knee-jack emotional reaction by people ‘who clothe themselves in cloths of goodwill and pretence’.

President Masisi also noted that there were allegations of disarmament of wildlife officers and association made between arming the officers and reduction in poaching, something he dismissed as untrue.

Some, he said, went to the extent of associating the so-called spike in poaching with his presidency.

“They concluded without basis that my presidency is ushering in lack of regard for environmental matters, stewardship and quiet distant from my predecessors. I will be the first to admit we are very different people. The circumstances that we face evolve,” he said.

He said at the moment, the animal population in Botswana had grown exponentially due to favourable conditions, a development he said had given rise to human/wildlife conflict.

To that end, President Masisi has instigated a consultative process in an effort to deal with the matter once and for all.

He also said that his government was developing the management of wildlife resources with a view to engage more with people living near to wildlife, thereby broadening beneficiation.

One of the reasons he attended the IWT was to engage with the international community who are an important stakeholder in conservation matters so that they may appreciate the Botswana narrative.

Botswana, according to President Masisi, had contributed a great deal to the world by being a good steward to some of the great wonders of the world such as Okavango Delta and breathtaking wilderness abound with all manner of wildlife.

President Masisi therefore felt strongly that the international communities who are also beneficiaries of Botswana eco-system one way or the other, must put in their money’s worth towards wildlife management.

“It is not assistance, it is a responsibility and I am calling on the international community to do their part in this regard,” he said. 

He said his wish was to see more broadened participation in the tourism sector ‘that is not only sustainable, but beneficial to the people around whom it occurs.’

He stated that he could not wait for a day when all financial flows within the sector would be configured, including having all transactions taking place in Botswana within closer proximity to the tax man. ENDS