01 May 2019

Chobe District Commissioner, Ms Sekgabo Makgosa has commended the Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust (CECT) for conducting annual general meetings as per its constitution.

Speaking at the trust’s AGM in Kachikau recently, Ms Makgosa said it was only through such forums that the trust could introspect and establish its impact in the community. She said an AGM was of paramount importance as a platform where stakeholders could dialogue and forge a way forward for the trust. Ms Makgosa urged the community to interrogate the board reports and help the trust achieve its intended purpose. She noted that government was concerned about mismanagement of some community trusts. She however noted that CECT was one of the community trusts that the government was impressed with.

Ms Makgosa said although CECT was doing well it had potential to improve further and she implored the trust to continue utilising its resources prudently. Ms Makgosa called for diversification of products citing that through the trust other products such as motsentsela bread production could be explored.

Giving a board chairperson’s report, a member, Mr Reggie Morongwe stated that the Chobe Land Board extended the CH1 lease for a period of two years effective April this year. He said the extension meant that the investor at Linyanti Bush Camp could continue with management plan for the area. Mr Morongwe said as part of CECT board’s achievements, fishing season had been introduced in Namibia and unlike previously when the season was only implemented in Botswana; Namibia had adopted the conservation measures.

He urged the residents to intensify the conservation efforts by avoiding unnecessary cutting down of trees and veldt fires. Another achievement, Mr Morongwe said, was that the board  built an office in Satau. On the future plans of the trust, he said, a campsite in Kavimba would start operating as other formalities such as name registration had been completed. 

He further said the board intended to start a mini brick moulding project in Parakarungu.

The CECT manager, Mr Moses Sinchembe said in an endeavour to align the trust’s mandate with the Vision 2036 objective of achieving Prosperity for All, the trust employed 30 people, 28 of whom were permanent employees, one a non-citizen with a permit and one on three-year fixed term.

He said as a way of achieving the pillars of Sustainable Economic Development for the enclave area resident, CECT and its investors ensured that wherever possible they employed residents of the area in order to reduce unemployment.

He explained that CECT and its investors had a total of 108 employees on their payroll noting ‘the number does not include casual labourers.’ Mr Sinchembe elaborated that 28 of the 30 CECT employees were from the enclave area while in Ngoma Lodge and Linyanti Bush Camp 25 out of 33 and 19 out of 45 employees respectively were from the enclave area. He explained that Linyanti Bush Camp was currently working on ensuring that the majority of its employees came from Chobe enclave as per the community’s expectation. In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Kehentse Ntsosang thanked CECT for giving the community of the enclave update of the trust progress every year. He commended board for the developments and progress in the five villages. Kgosi Ntsosang advised the community to continue to elect visionary and competent board members and avoid those who could abuse the trust’s resources.

He urged the community members to always engage in constructive criticism during the AGM. Kgosi Ntsosang noted that CECT had been doing well and other trusts both local and from outside the country came for benchmarking. A resident, Mr Simasiku Matengu commended the board for running the trust well and called on it to expand the bricklaying project to cater for other areas such as Kasane as there was a high demand of bricks.

Mr Ali Mainga applauded the board for the clean financial audit. He however called on it to devise ways of clearing the BURS tax as it continued to attract penalties and interest. Kgosi Bernard Museke also commended the board for the good management.

Proposing a vote of thanks, Chobe Enclave East councillor, Mr Baleofhi Disho implored the community to take advantage of their trust’s eight tractors to engage in massive farming. ENDS