16 Aug 2020

 Following a economic loss which befell the family of Motsaapene Sechudi of Khuis village in January after a strange disease nearly wiped off his kraal of hundred and fifty small stock within a day, the family has now recovered with the support of family and other farmers.

Speaking in an interview at Moselewapula cattlepost recently, Mr Sechudi said the incident had devastating psychological impact on him. 

He said after the strange disease killed most of his small stock after drinking contaminated water all hope was not lost as he was left with 14 kids, one lamb, one sheep and one ram 1 which did not drink the water, and six ailing goats.

He was determined to recover from his loss by patiently nursing to recovery the six ailing goats which later gave birth to twin kids each. 

The incident caused him to look beyond the circumstance and aim to produce better results. 

He said his faith was further strengthened by family members who supported him and farmers who sympathised with the family and assisted him with a total of 38 sheep and goats.

Mr Albert Vissagie donated 13 sheep and goats, Ms Montlenyane January donated 10 sheep and goats, Mr Keneth Kotokwe and Mr Dennis Mereyabone each donated four dorper sheep and goats, Molale Saku and Thelekane Saku each donated two sheep, while Jacobus Mmoloki, Raphel Mereyabone, Motlhalefi Mmoloki each donated one sheep.  

The donations, he said, helped him to recover from his loss adding that to-date he was looking after 100 small stock and most were pregnant. 

He said his loss was a major drawback but he endured adding that challenges were part of farming and a farmer could experience a substantive loss.

 Thus, he said bad farming experiences should serve as yardsticks to be used for advancement.   

One of the donors, Mr Kenneth Kotokwe said he assisted the family after hearing about their devastating loss through the media. 

He said Mr Sechudi was a seasoned farmer whose plight was a major blow for the reason that young farmers learnt the ropes from him.

He said Mr Sechudi was a  natural ‘seed multiplier’ adding that he knew that he would do all in his power to get back on his feet thus the donation was merely to sow a seed which he knew Mr Sechudi would nurture.

Furthermore, Mr Kotokwe appreciated other farmers who assisted the family adding that, their donations demonstrated the spirit of Botho which Batswana were known for. 

Furthermore, he said Batswana acted in line with national vision 2036 which called for promotion of a compassionate, just and caring nation.

Mr Sechudi is a pensioner, whose livelihood was left in tatters in January this year after the deadly disease ravaged his small stock at Moselewapula cattlepost which lies about 30 kilometers North of Khuis village. 

The animals drank contaminated water in a reservoir. 

It was believed that a small animal, 'tshipa' or the ground squirrel fell into the water tank, died and rotted inside the tank.

 However, the family is still awaiting laboratory results from veterinary office. Contacted for comment principal veterinary officer Dr Elisha Nyakarumbu confirmed that the final analysis was not yet complete. 

He said samples were taken to National Veterinary Laboratory and required sophisticated equipment to determine the substance involved. 

However, looking at the way the animals have died they suspected a case of poisoning using organo-phosphate or carbamae chemicals but the results were yet to be confirmed.

Dr Nyakarumbu ruled out the possibility of a small animal such as a ground squirrel contaminating the water adding that the volume of water in the water tank could have diluted the botulism process. 

He explained that botulism was process whereby a decomposed animal in water produced toxic materials.

 

He said looking at the size of the animal and the amount of water, there was no way that the water could have been contaminated as toxic substances could have been diluted and therefore less harmful to the small stock BOPA