16 May 2022

Environmental conservation and management are key to sustainable development, and the public would do well to ensure they happened.

Vice President Mr Slumber Tsogwane said this recently, when addressing kgotla meetings in Mopipi and Toromoja. 

He warned against bad environmental practices such as overstocking, which led to overgrazing and soil erosion. 

Mr Tsogwane said the Tribal Grazing Land Policy was introduced as a move to control grazing and ensure better range management. He urged the communities to adhere to the policy. 

For her part Minister of Environment and Tourism Ms Philda Kereng, said to address human/wildlife conflict, government would relocate Makgadikgadi Game proof fence to its initial gazetted line as per the request of Boteti West community. The fence, whose purpose is to prevent access into villages by animals from Makgadikgadi National Park, was relocated some years back to fence in the river.

That aggravated the conflict between animals and the community as animals destroyed boreholes and farms along the river bed. The latest relocation would create 78 000 hectares for use by the community, she said. She implored the residents to explore various tourism opportunities for the land.

Ms Kereng added that a cabinet memorandum had been made to request endorsement of the fence relocation by end of May. She urged the community to take care of the fence once it had been built, adding they would be expected to maintain it. 

Ms Kereng also explained that the Tourism Policy had been reviewed to allow every Motswana to benefit from any form of tourism through economic inclusion. 

She indicated that the ministry was worried about the large number of community trusts that were failing to generate revenue, and would therefore be assisting such trusts with profit making ideas. The aim, she said, was to develop Makgadikgadi, which was now recognised as the birthplace of mankind into a well-known tourism destination. 

One of the residents Mr Galazo Otimilwe of Mopipi called for zoning of communal ranch areas, and expressed concern that there were unknown herds of in their cattle posts. 

Mr Otimilwe called for a return of traditional dance clubs in schools as that could help to promote arts and culture. ends