11 May 2026

All players in Zone 7 should continuously work extra hard and guard against any move that could land Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) into the zone, which had, for a long time, suffered the debilitating impact of the disease.

While at it, the players should simultaneously pull all stops, including tending to the cordon fence, driving back stray cattle from the Zimbabwe side and adhering to the FMD protocols in place, Member of Parliament for Bobirwa, Mr Taolo Lucas has said.

In an interview post tour of the cordon fence from Mabolwe Border Post to Lenyetse Camp, where he made stops at some camps and pickets along the cordon fence, Mr Lucas said being alive to the previous pains of the FMD in the zone, he witnessed a community charged to avoid a relapse of the past. 

“We should, therefore, do everything in our power, as relevant ministries and departments in conjunction with volunteers, to to ensure that no FMD case is detected in our zone,” he said.

Having heard from the picketers, fencers, members of mephato and volunteers along the cordon fence, which virtually acts as a borderline between Botswana and Zimbabwe, although the actual borderline lies in the middle of Shashe River, Mr Lucas said the veterinary services should consider erecting dual cables, on top of each other, to strengthen security.

Some fencers had told the area MP that the move, from a pilot project they conducted on some stretch, appeared to yield results. They claimed that the elephants failed to trample upon and destroy the dual cables.

In his observation, the Bobirwa legislator said he spotted areas where the fence was weaker and needed quick fixing.

Amongst other things, the MP said those working on the fence should be provided with tools for the trade and some protective clothing to enable them to discharge their duties diligently.

“The workers here require some protective clothing, which is a general concern. Some of them were putting on some flip-flops while working on thorny areas,” he said about members of mephato, especially.

Mr Lucas also said that members of mephato requested that they be remunerated through Ikageng programmme, arguing that the P817 from Ipelegeng was meagre for their efforts. 

While volunteers from Gobojango are transported daily through a Bobirwa District Council truck-bus, members of mephato spend seven days on a trip at the pickets, drawing no allowances for nights spent away. 

It is from this condition that they deemed the P2 500 from Ikageng programme a better remuneration.

Like members of mephato, while moved by the lived debilitating impact of the FMD from their no-so-long-ago past, volunteers who have been assisting in tending to the fence for more than two months, called on government to avail fencing material so they could erect barriers between Botswana and Zimbabwe.

A 51-year-old Lereyang Selema of Gobojango said shortage of fencing material negatively affected their productivity and dented their impact. 

“We know the pains of FMD because we have lived through that hell before, hence we volunteered our services,” Mr Selema said, adding that the mention of FMD gave the community sleepless nights.

“Our lives depend on cattle and if the FMD hits, we become instant paupers,” he said. ENDS