17 Jul 2024

Residents of villages near the Botswana-Namibia border in the Okavango District have been urged to desist from illegal border crossing, illegal fishing and hunting.

Speaking at a kgotla meeting addressed by Botswana-Namibia defence forces joint Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) in Mohembo West on Tuesday, Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources, senior wildlife warden from Shakawe area, Mr Gilbert Monnawalesole said Batswana crossed illegally to Namibia and engaged in illegal fishing and hunting.

Mr Monnawalesole said that the Namibian side near the border was a National Parks while the Botswana side was for controlled hunting hence said locals should only hunt on Botswana side but with permission through the hunting raffle.

With regards to fishing he said Batswana should engage in permitted fishing on their side between the months of March and December.

“Some people do illegal fishing in the Namibian side at night using canoes which is risky since they do not know the repercussions of illegal crossing and fishing as the two countries have different laws,” he said.

Mr Monnawalesole said that Botswana had community trusts which sought to promote conservation while communities benefited from natural resources.

He therefore, said locals should have active community trusts and do different activities such as game farming for income generation and to benefit from wildlife which would promote human-wildlife co-existence.

Mohembo West Kgosi Paulos Tjakova appreciated the CIMIC mission saying it was important for villages near the border such as Mohembo West and East, Shaikarawe, Kaputura and others to be sensitised.

Kgosi Tjakova said that residents of the stated villages benefited some services from Namibia hence emphasised the need for residents to respect the law.

CIMIC head from Botswana Defence Force, Colonel Watipa Abel said the mission aimed to promote peace and cooperation between the two countries as well as reduction of challenges that affected villages near the borders.  ENDS