Amid growing concerns over livestock that roam the streets of Maun, the North West District Council have revealed that due budgetary constraints, it is unable to enforce the Livestock Control By-law which mandates it to impound roaming cattle around Maun village.
NWDC, Council Chairman Itumeleng Kelebetseng told this publication in an interview that keeping the impounded cattle in pounds while they are still waiting to be identified by their owners comes with expenses on medication and feeding.
He added that currently the council cannot afford these costs, adding that it remains important for farmers to take responsibility of monitoring the movement of their cattle within the village.
However, in an effort to address this long-standing problem, Kelebetseng has revealed that council will soon engage various stakeholders among them Tribal Administration, Department of Veterinary Services, District Administration and farmers in order to come up with ways to remove livestock from the village
He highlighted that with plans to develop Maun into a green city, there is need to ensure the environment and general upkeep of the village meets the standards required. Kelebetseng also emphasised on the need for public education on farmers about the issue during Kgotla meetings.
“We will soon engage different stakeholders in order to come up with the solutions to address this issue. We will also educate the community on this issue so that they can control the movement of their livestock, but we will not ignore the fact that farmers use the Thamalakane River for watering their livestock,” he said.
Kelebetseng further indicated that the presence of livestock negatively impact the village’s city’s image, particularly on the tourism from and investment, while also acknowledging the damage to property and their contribution to road accidents.
North West District Commissioner, Thabang Waloka said stakeholder engagements are imperative in encouraging farmers to herd their cattle. Waloka concurred with Kelebetseng that the time was nigh for the issue to addressed, especially with plans to turn Maun into a green city.
He emphasised that cattle rustlers were benefitting from current state of affairs, targeting the roaming livestock in the village.
The district commissioner said the roaming cattle in Maun are from cattle posts on the outskirts of the village – adding that farmers should take the necessary steps in ensuring that they herd their cattle to the river and back to their grazing areas.
