18 Nov 2020

Some key stakeholders have approved the draft scooping report of the Integrated Management Plan of NG4 concession, which marks the second phase of the study on the development of the said plan.

The department of National Museum and Monuments (DNMM) had engaged Geoflux Company to review and integrate two operative management plans and come up with a cohesive product that would be used to manage and monitor tourism and cultural heritage resources in the whole of NG4.

Stakeholders approved the report during a consultative meeting saying the report was well written as it covered key issues in the area as well as outlining opportunities aimed to improve the livelihoods of the Xaixai community in Ngamiland. They commended Geoflux consultancy team for a job well done, saying the plan would enable the community to fully benefit from the utilisation of the natural resources in their area if well executed.  

The consultancy team was requested to include in the plan some of the issues raised such as waste management component, zoning of the area to determine what could be done as well as to articulate more on the health aspect as the report indicated that there were many bats around the caves.

The meeting attracted representative from Xaixai village leadership, Xaixai Tlhabologo Community Trust and those from government departments and private sector.

Kgosi Nxuka Xishee of Xaixai welcomed the report and acknowledged efforts by the consultants to engage the community on matters of interest.

 She emphasised that the plan should include cultural tourism attraction sites as their area was rich in cultural diversity. The traditional leader said they had proposed a reception area, where guests could learn more about their history before proceeding to Gcwihaba caves.

Okavango Sub-district development officer, Mr Oratile Dintwe appreciated the report, saying the end product would assist in eradicating poverty in Xaixai.

Despite being rich in natural resources, the area, he said, was poverty stricken. 

NG4 is a Wildlife Management Area designated for community wildlife utilisation under the Ngamiland Integrated Land Use Plan of 2009.

It was reported that several plans had been prepared for NG4 to enable residents to benefit from wildlife in the area, the latest being the management plan for Controlled Hunting Area NG4, 2010. The community was said to have benefiting from a joint venture with a safari hunting operator until government suspended hunting in 2014.

However, Mr Dintwe said the end product would guide the community, empower them and create employment opportunities, noting that NG4 concession was a centre of attraction as far as tourism component was concerned. The area, he said, was rich in a lot of tourism attractions besides the Gcwihaba caves.

The DNMM regional coordinator, Mr Vasco Baitsiseng concurred that the area was poverty stricken and hoped the plan would bring change within Xaixai community. 

The report indicates that Xaixai has a high number of poor people, which makes the need for economic activities in the area paramount. 

However, Mr Baitsiseng stated that the area was more into wildlife tourism and the government took a deliberate decision to develop some heritage sites in an effort to diversify the products. 

The Integrated Management Plan of NG4, he said, was one of the pre-development processes citing Gcwihaba caves. 

Mr Baitsiseng also indicated that Gcwihaba caves as a national heritage monument was currently being considered for inclusion in the list of potential world heritage sites.

For his part, the consultancy team leader, Mr Monareng Oageng explained that they saw it fit to share the scooping report with stakeholders to get feedback because the plan should be beneficial to the community. Ends