Re: Stop punishing farmers, erect a fence around the city instead Recently the Gaborone City Council got entangled in a matter involving impounded cattle that died in their care. There were varying versions as to what could have caused the deaths of so many cattle belong mostly to poor peasants from the neighbouring Kweneng, Kgatleng and Gamalete areas. The city council is indeed facing a serious problem of stray animals that roam the streets, making the city unsightly. These animals are inveigled by the unflustered vegetation and gobbledygook from city dwellers. The city council impound these animals and release them to the owners after paying a fee. If not collected on time, the animals are auctioned to the highest bidder. It needs to be noted that, because of their proximity to the city, Ledumadumane residents are the hardest hit by this exercise. It will be remembered that Ledumadumane residents have resided in the area for many year, engaging in agricultural activities that includes rearing livestock such as donkeys, goats, sheep and cattle. The growth of the city and other developments eventually encroached into their farming land, thereby limiting the pasture. The undisturbed vegetation of Gaborone is appetising to the animals, it stimulates their taste buds and they could not resist it. When government took a decision to take part of their land that included ploughing fields and grazing area to carter for the expansion of Gaborone which is constricted between major villages of Mogoditshane, Tlokweng, Ramotswa and Kgatleng, provision was not made for their livestock. That further compounded their plight. Though i do agree that animals should be kept out of the city, i do not agree with the method employed by the Gaborone City Council as it impoverishes the farmers by crippling their livelihoods. Instead of impounding animals and charging poor farmers, the city council should consider erecting a fence around the city to keep animals out. This will surely have long term benefits, not only to the farmers, but also to the city council as it will cut down on its expenditure for taking care of the stray animals. I am reliably informed that owners of the cattle that died at the council kraal will not be compensated. That means those farmers have lost a livelihood, a source of income and security. That is sad. We all know that in this county, a cow is a source of pride and security. Hence the saying, “ka e tlhoka ka tlhoka boroko, ...”. I believe those farmers are finding it difficult to find sleep because of the loss. They are in pain. As a people, we ought to push for policies that recognise the social and economic needs of our people. We should be sensitive to the wellbeing of those we represent. As a councillor who represents the area affected, Ledumadumane, i want to implore my fellow councillors at the capital city to give a human face to the laws they formulate, and find better ways to address the issue of stray animals. There is the “Lephephe Accord” which was entered into by four local authorities in 2009. The Lephephe accord called for sharing of resources between Central District, Gaborone City Council, Kweneng District and Kgatleng District, for the betterment of service delivery to our electorates. I believe that Gaborone City Council stir up this agreement and get other affected local authorities to assist it to better address this important socio-economic issue.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 05:15:53 +0000
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