Onalenna Modikwa
19 December 2008
Selebi Pikwe — The Botswana Congress Party will hold demonstrations in the Bobirwa East villages of Mabolwe, Semolale and Gobojango on Tuesday to petition the government over its decision to renege on the electrification of the border fence with Zimbabwe and to protest government's failure to deal with cross-border crime in the Bobirwa area.
The party secretary general, Taolo Lucas, said that as a short-term measure the work of the Botswana Defence Force should be complemented with the Special Support Group.
He further noted that Police Officers in Semolale should be increased and be equipped to deal with the situation.
He said his party believes that those whose cattle have been stolen and later identified in Zimbabwe should be compensated.
After the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in the Bobirwa area in 2006 the government had plans to install an electric fence along the border with Zimbabwe to prevent the free movement of animals between the two countries, along with other measures like intensified patrols to prevent smuggling of livestock to Zimbabwe.
Many Babirwa had on several occasions decried the loss of their livestock to the neighbouring country. The government has since indicated that the electrification of the fence could not be effected because it would be too expensive.
Lucas said as the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe deteriorates, cross border crime involving the theft of livestock from Botswana is intensifying, but the government response is slow, inadequate and half-hearted.
He noted that the solders patrolling the boarder cannot cope with the situation and the police in Semolale are few and ill-equipped to deal with the the problem. He stated even those whose cattle are identified and located in Zimbabwe are not assisted in any meaningful way.
"We will further reiterate our call for the electrification of the boarder with Zimbabwe as a long-term measure. We note with disappointment that the electrification of the boarder project was started, but later abandoned without sufficient explanation after huge sums of money have been expended on the same." The Secretary General indicated that cross boarder crime is terrorising and impoverishing the people of Bobirwa and it is critical that the government treat the issue as urgent and act with speed to improve the situation.
"It is the height of irresponsibility of government to stay indifferent in the face of such suffering of its people," Lucas said.
He highlighted that for many years now, people in Bobirwa have lost their livestock to criminals who cut the border fence in the Shashe area and drive cattle, donkeys and goats to Zimbabwe. He said residents of Mabolwe, Semolale and Gobojango have lost thousands of livestock to this sort of crime.
"In an area where pastoral agriculture is a source of livelihood, many families have been left impoverished and destitute after loosing their livestock. As we speak, the problem persists and farmers continue to lose their livestock with no hope of recovering them.
Those who have depended on donkeys for draught power have their dreams of tilling the land shattered with consequences of their subsistent economies. Lucas said the destruction of the fence by criminals has also meant that cattle from Zimbabwe find their way into Botswana, exposing cattle in Bobirwa to the dreadful foot and mouth disease.
He added that it is no wonder that FMD has become almost endemic in the area. "The recurrence of this cattle disease has spelt doom for the economic life of Bobirwa. Persistent outbreaks of the disease have subjected the region to long spells of poverty and distress as farmers cannot sell their cattle to BMC during those times".
The demonstrations are scheduled to start in the morning in Mabolwe, proceeding to Semolale and ending in Gobojango where a petition will be handed to the District Officers.
A political rally will be held in Gobojango in the afternoon.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Mmegi/The Reporter. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
