08 Jan 2020

Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security Ms Beauty Manake says time is ripe to map a lasting solution to end the rampant cross-border livestock theft along the Botswana-Zimbabwe border.  

Speaking during a consultative meeting with farmers in Bobirwa region at Bobonong kgotla January 7, Ms Manake said conducting business as usual when there was no change would be detrimental to farmers and the local economy.

The assistant minister said that Botswana ran a consultative government that ensured that the will and needs of people were taken into account when making final decisions.

Ms Manake said amongst the subject of her consultations in Bobirwa were cross-border stock theft that impoverished farmers as well as lack of rains which impacted heavily on dry land farming for crop production and horticulture.

Ms Manake said the consultations were aimed at escalating empowerment and development of Batswana through agriculture.

She said cross-border livestock smuggling also presented an opportunity ‘to fix what we currently have or experience.’

With a view to drastically improve the agriculture sector, the assistant minister challenged farmers to help devise best ways in which some programmes in her ministry could be better implemented to remove impediments towards accessibility among other things.

When responding to questions and comments, Ms Manake called on farmers to form associations and clusters where they could speak in one voice. 

The assistant minister informed farmers that at some point her ministry mooted a move to have all those who were to receive government assistance form clusters or associations.

While conceding that it was difficult to be a farmer in Bobirwa at a time of escalated cross-border livestock smuggling and when there were lack of rains, Ms Manake said government intended on empowering farmers both financially and otherwise to help them produce sufficient food.

She also informed smallstock farmers that a lucrative market for smallstock had been identified abroad and that soon farmers would be able to sell their produce for good returns.

At the same meeting, assistant superintendent Seitiketso Mpusetsang of Semolale Police Station conceded at the gravity of cross-border livestock theft. 

He revealed that the rustlers spared no animal, including donkeys, goats, sheep and cattle.

However, he informed the meeting that they have formed a task force team based at Tuli Circle to help combat cross-border crime. 

He said plans were also afoot to have patrol teams that would cover shorter distances.

Though the farmers alleged escalated livestock theft which the Semolale police officer acknowledged, he argued that they had since recorded improvements owing to some latest interventions where officers spent sleepless nights tending to the border.

Ass. Supt. Mpusetsang also called for community involvement and announced that plans were underway to conduct public education at some Semolale and Bobonong policing areas about cross-border crime.

During the meeting farmers had suggested that for horticulture to come to fruition, though dogged by rampant wild animals that ravage their produce, there was need for government to assist farmers in drilling and equipping boreholes.

Also on water issue, some suggested damming of some rivers to allow farmers to connect into such dams for irrigation and animals watering.

As regards recovered smuggled livestock, farmers suggested quarantining livestock for 21 days whilst the necessary steps were being taken to subsequently return them to the rightful owners. 

Farmers had said that due to long processes recovered livestock end up dying naturally, being killed or even relocated by rustlers.

Mr Isaac Sekgwama of Molaladau called on government to empower farmers’ associations to be fully-functional so that they could effectively assist members. 

He also called on government to strategically electrify production areas.

Others argued that compensation for destroyed crops by wild animals was meagre and hence called for review of the compensation.

Kgosi Ezekiel Joel, in his welcome address, had told the assistant minister that while they were still recovering from foot and mouth disease in zone seven after it was declared a green zone, his people were now covered by a dark cloud called cross-border livestock theft and other crimes.

He opined that reduced number of picketers could have fuelled the escalation of theft across the border. 

He also feared for drought if the situation of lack of rains prevails. Ends