28 Jun 2020

 Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust has donated P50 000 to the COVID-19 Relief Fund. 

    The trust also donated 3 000 face masks and 20 litres of sanitizers to all the schools in the enclave.

   The trust represents all the five villages of Chobe West Enclave which include Parakarungu, Satau, Kachikau, Kavimba and Mabele.

In addition, the trust also donated infrared thermometers to 44 churches in the five villages.   

Speaking at the handing over ceremony in Kavimba, chairperson of the trust, Mr Poniso Shamukuni said all the donations amounted to over P300 000.   

  He said COVID-19 had negatively affected the trust and its finances, adding that  the investor who had bought their wildlife quota had been halted by the pandemic. 

He added that the quota from Ngoma to Lenyati was bought by a local for P5.6 million.

Mr Shamukuni said it was a drawback because the hunting season, which opened in April, would be closed in September. 

He noted that the trust generated income through the quota as well as the Ngoma Enclave Lodge and Lenyati Bush Camp. 

Mr Shamukuni further stated that the donation was a response to President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s plea to help government in the fight against COVID-19. 

He said they found it fit to help government in the fight against the pandemic as a way of giving back to the country which helped established the trust in the 1990s.

Speaking at the event, Chobe district commissioner, Ms Sekgabo Makgosa said COVID-19 would remain a threat until a vaccine was discovered. 

Ms Makgosa also decried illegal border jumping by some residents of Chobe West Enclave villages. 

She noted that two people from the enclave were recently arrested and quarantined after illegally crossing into Namibia and back to Botswana. 

Ms Makgosa also noted that there was no isolation centre in the district and that finding accommodation for quarantined people was expensive. 

On other issues, she appealed to Batswana to register for the beSafe COVID-19 app, saying  it was safe, quick and convenient.

She added that the app was also helpful when it came to contact tracing, noting that the app could be downloaded from the Internet.  

Ms Makgosa also said residents were beginning to enjoy the fruits of their trust. 

She said an account established to fight the pandemic in the district had been depleted and appealed to Chobe residents to deposit into the account to help fight coronavirus.

She said Chobe District was at a higher risk of COVID-19 because of its geographical location, adding that apart from being a destination of international visitors, Chobe shared a border with Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. ends