05 Nov 2020

A meeting of four ministries is on the cards to hatch long lasting solutions to the long standing cross-border crime bedeviling livestock farmers in the Bobirwa region, Member of Parliament for Bobonong, has said.

At a meeting with farmers’ associations at Mashambe and Gobe cattle posts, Mr Taolo Lucas said plans were at an advanced stage to hold a meeting of the ministries of; Agricultural Development and Food Security, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Justice, Defence and Security as well as Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism to devise ameliorations to the dogging problems facing farmers in the region.

The four ministries, according to the area MP, were critical in resolving the current problems instead of the piecemeal approach, which has proved counterproductive.
In the interim, Mr Lucas said that he would engage with the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security about pickets and the disease control fence.

He said not only did farmers face cross-border livestock smuggling into neighbouring Zimbabwe, their greatest concerns were the destruction of the cordon fence and destruction  of property by wild animals such as elephants.

The farmers outlined such problems as pickets that were a distance apart as some dogging issues, arguing that when pickets were closer to one another, stock theft and vandalism of the fence were low since vandalised portions were mended immediately when they were spotted.  

The dual fence separates Botswana livestock from those from neighbouring Zimbabwe.

The cordon fence runs along Shashe River banks, while the border between the two countries is in the middle of the said river.

According to the raging farmers, who called for sterner action against stock thieves, the Zimbabwean side has no cordon fence or barrier, which makes it easier for livestock to encroach into that country.

The farmers decried the destruction of the fence, which allowed their livestock to cross into Shashe River, where upon retrieval, they would be killed for having treaded into Zimbabwe, yet the borderline of the two countries lies in the middle of the river.

They wondered why their animals were killed when they had not crossed into Zimbabwe, but had merely crossed the cordon fence, which had been clearly stated was not a borderline.

Leading the pack was Mr Moeti Masole, Shashe Farmers Association’s interim chairperson, who said that they had recommended the use of rail bars at identified livestock smuggling hot spots.

The use of the bars, he argued, would bar elephants from destroying such a structure, while simultaneously barring cattle from passing through. This, they said had the potential to force the thieves to consider other sites, where they could be easily apprehended.

The rail bars are being erected 100 metres from each other and are conjoined by a wire cable that is reportedly too strong for elephants.

However, the farmers read a failed plan even before the intervention could be completed. Meanwhile, the farmers at Gobe cattle post want the project to have been prioritised to curb crime at hot spots.

The farmers also found that using vehicles to patrol the borderline was counterproductive, since livestock thieves lie low when they hear vehicles approaching, then proceed with their mission when the officers had passed before.

In response to the cordon fence troubles, Dr Kenalemongwe Kebopetswe of the Department of Veterinary Services informed the farmers that cattle that crossed into Zimbabwe or to the other side of the disease control fence were considered to be on the red zone.

He reminded farmers that since the Bobirwa region was declared a green zone, no livestock would be allowed from the Zimbabwean side, adding that the department was devising ways to strengthen disease control measures like possibilities of digging trenches along the line to keep elephants and livestock at bay.

Though cross border crime was reportedly declining, head of special task team assigned to assist in cross border crime, Senior Superintendent Musa Oteng said that they had intercepted over 200 livestock attempted thefts from June to October.

He said 95 animals were reported stolen at Bobonong Police Station and 211 at Semolale Police Station from April to November 4.

Senior Supt Oteng revealed that the police had identified routes used by thieves and also discovered that some Batswana aided and abetted cross border livestock smuggling.  

The same claim was echoed by Bobonong station commander, Mr Paul Seoko, who warned that there were informers who worked with Zimbabwean livestock rustlers. He observed that the thieves beat every strategy that anti-stock theft committees implemented.

Mr Seoko revealed that they were on tracks of one of the suspects, who could be feeding the thieves some intelligence, adding that one such was behind bars. ENDS