Mogobane Irrigation Scheme Hope in sight

07 Jul 2024

Every day, residents of Mogobane in Ramotswa District, wake up to see ruins of a dream that went up in smoke.

A rusty tunnel that runs across the village dividing it from one end to the other, remains a stark reminder of a property that used to be the food hub and economic activity of Gamalete and the nation at large.

Now it lies idle with a few structures on sight reminding many of the biblical account of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the two beautiful cities in the book of genesis which were wiped out because of their wickedness.

During its formative years, the Mogobane Irrigation Scheme was a source of livelihood to hundreds of households as well as reducing the country’s milk and vegetable deficit.

Through the influence of Kgosi Seboko Mokgosi who mobilised Balete communities in 1936, Mogobane Irrigation Scheme was developed using the morafe labour to build facilities, warehouse, Mogobane Dam, canal and hectares of irrigable fields for crop production.

In recent years, the scheme has been marred by administrative challenges with mismanagement of funds at the centre of the rot. Farm development failed and the dream went up in smoke.

Government stepped in through a P10 million fund by the Rural Development Council under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for its resuscitation but all was in vain. But now, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Gamalete Development Trust has identified potential investors to bring the irrigation scheme back to its glory days.

Mr Sam Magama, chairperson of the Gamalete Development Trust, encourages Balete to remain focused and explore the potential that comes with the new investors.

He says the scheme failed because Mogobane Dam which was used for the irrigation component of the scheme had a break down during heavy rains and did not yield enough to assist in irrigation.

“We had to seek partners to assist and we met some people and requested them to establish a plan on future development of the scheme,” he says. “We got interested in one of the plans.”

Mr Magama says they travelled as far as Free State in South Africa to have a glimpse of what was intended for the new scheme.

“The new partners, Arable Parable, took some of our people to see how potatoes farming was done on a 300-hectare land. We want to follow suit. We salivated at the idea and without hesitation approved it,” he adds.

The new arrangement means 120 hectares will be allocated to the new investors with a five years’ mid-term assessment of the agreement, according to Mr Magama. He says they are awaiting the month of August when the takeover would eventually happen. The proposed new venture has been described as ideal for food security and potential horticultural hub. Mr Magama says they engaged the expertise of precision farm engineers and would leave nothing to chance. He says part of the plan is to develop the Irrigation scheme to levels of self-sufficiency.

Kgosi Mosadi Seboko, who is the custodian of the project as paramount chief of Balete, also encourages the tribe to unite and not disintegrate as was the case in the past. She says the irrigation scheme has the potential to retrace its steps back to its glory days as it was a heritage started and left by Balete forefathers.

She says the scheme failed in the past and was vandalised in the process. Kgosi Mosadi says government intervention in 2014 was important as a taskforce was established to map the way forward. 

Former Mogobane councillor and chairperson of the Gamalete Development Trust, Mr Lawrence Magosi, belongs to a generation which once witnessed the potential of the scheme. He provides a historical background of the scheme which was grown under the watchful eye of Bamalete Tribal Authority until independence.

“Balete sought the assistance from the colonial government and in 1945 the colonial administration made a partnership with the morafe to construct Mogobane Dam.

It was constructed around the same time as Mmakgodumo Dam, which was initially known as the Bathoen irrigation scheme,” says Mr Magosi.

He says Kgosi Kelemogile Mokgosi was influential in transferring the scheme to government from the hands of the morafe to assist with the ambitious project.  Mr Magosi says an agricultural school was envisaged to start up at the site but the plan failed and everything collapsed once more.

“Farm development failed and the Botswana Development Corporation stepped in and introduced a new component, dairy farming and were ploughing to feed the dairy cattle,” he adds.

He says all was not rosy throughout the years with maladministration at the centre of it all.

He says since the departure of some Irish farm manager at the site everything collapsed.

The new farm manager, Mr Gontse Molefe, says in an effort to resuscitate the project, a new task team was established and correlated with the trust.

He says an idea of a horticultural project was born and a search of those who could undertake the initiative started. 

He says they are awaiting complete takeover of the farm with a chance of extension of the project on the cards.  Ends

Source : BOPA

Author : Baleseng Batlotleng

Location : Mogobane

Event : Interview

Date : 07 Jul 2024