03 Mar 2019

Residents of Senete near Tutume have formed a committee to liase with the wildlife and national parks department to control marauding elephants in the village and its surrounding.

The Senete wildlife control committee was formed in 2018 after residents noticed a growing number of elephants in the area. Elephants were alien to residents of this small village until 2015 when they noticed the animals. 

One resident, Mr Wapi Ntheetsang, said they started living in fear as their numbers were increasing.

Mr Ntheetsang said in some instances elephants disrupted their social gatherings and consultative meetings hence the issue of elephants rampaging the village was raised at every gathering. “People are reluctant to plough because these beasts destroy their fields,” he said.

Mr Ntheetsang, who is also a member of the committee, said elephants were now seen in some areas beyond their fields. 

He further noted that last year a pupil sustained injuries following an encounter with an elephant on his way to school. 

He said although there were some wildlife officers in the village who frequently chased them away, the number was overwhelming as different groups were seen all over the village.

Another resident, Mr Gideon Khumo, who is currently nursing wounds following an encounter with an elephant while looking after his goats, said last year they attacked his farm once, but that this year they have attacked more than five times leaving behind a trail of destruction. 

He noted that a hectare of lablab which he ploughed with the aim of selling to other farmers as stock feed was destroyed.

Mr Khumo said the chillies offered by the wildlife department was no longer useful as the elephants were used to it, saying nowadays he burned old tyres because the smoke was strong for the elephants liking. 

Ms Masica Masena decried compensation offered by government, saying it was small compared to damaged properties. 

She said last year she planted two hectares that was all destroyed by elephants. She said although they were compensated, the money was too little.

This, she said, was disheartening in that fencing was expensive, adding that last year alone she used more than P7 000 on the maintenance of the fence. She appealed to government to look at the issue.

On complaints by residents, Tutume based senior wildlife warden, Ms Ketimeletswe Mondiya said wildlife officers were based in Nkange to assist the community by chasing away the elephants, and at the same time offered them chills which they were advised to burn in the evening. 

She further pointed out that because of shortage of transport, they failed to attend to all reports on time. 

Ms Mondiya, however, said they worked tirelessly to compensate those whose damages had been assessed when funds were available.

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi recently received a report from the sub committee of cabinet on the hunting ban. No decision has been taken yet with respect to the recommendations contained in the report.

The moratorium on hunting was introduced in 2014 and was not meant to be a permanent decision. It was against this background that government decided to consult stakeholders  on the hunting ban in view of the human wildlife conflict. ends