- OCT, joint venture partners struggle with socio economic empowerment
The eastern panhandle of the Okavango Delta is endowed with natural resources that are the backbone of the country’s tourism industry, which itself is the country’s second GDP earner – yet the area ranks top among the poor.
Despite years of dealing with the contentious human wildlife conflict – that pits elephants, buffalo and predators on the one hand versus agricultural activity, these communities continue to bear the brunt of paradox of plenty – where despite the abundance of natural resource, does not equate to improved livelihoods.
The core of the livelihoods of these people is depended upon pastoral and arable farming, which is highly impacted upon by wildlife – another resource that greatly defines the country’s tourism product offering. The two, existing alongside each other, in essence have transformed the area into one of the richest in the country, but that has not been.
Okavango Community Trust (OCT) Chairman Lekgowa Moediemang has revealed that without much economic activity in the area, the health and education sector on their knees, unemployment levels sky rocking, the situation has worsened over the years. OCT represents the eastern panhandle villages of Seronga, Gunotsoga, Eretsha, Beetsha and Gudigwa which have an overall population of about 8 000 inhabitants.
Moediemang’s view on the under development of the area stems from the state of the road that connects this part of the country to the rest which remains in a deplorable state. With such a level of pronounced access challenge – infrastructure developments, access to services, economic activity and smooth movement of people and goods remain a pipeline dream.
Under the Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme that ensures communities benefit from the natural resources abundant in their areas, OCT has and continues to play the role of facilitating socio economic development through job creation by leasing out its concession to investors for tourism purposes – who, as part of the joint venture partnership agreements commit to employ locals in their operations. The trust has further set up business ventures in the different villages where they employ from the same communities.
But the combined numbers employed are just a drop in the ocean – “the investors and the trust can only employ so much as the numbers of those unemployed are just too high.”
“Currently, OCT has 62 employees on its payroll, Okavango Wilderness Safaris employs 177 while Great Plains employs 117,” Moediemang highlighted.
From these figures only 356 people from these communities are employed under the OCT’s line of operation with its two joint ventures.
Further to these, the joint venture partners also engage on corporate social responsibility initiatives in areas of education, agriculture, health and wellness and sport that are geared at supporting these communities.
Meanwhile Moediemang has revealed that the trust continues to explore ways to utilise the abundant natural resources – wildlife, in the area to generate revenue that would enhance livelihoods. To this end, the Trust has expanded its operations that would allow for the employment of more people.
Among the new projects are the trust’s lodge in Seronga which has since been completed and the new Cultural Village and camping site in Eretsha. The trust also plans to create sub zones in its concessions to operate community camps where tourism activities will be undertaken and self-run.
Currently OCT operates a mortuary in Seronga, two shops – one in Beetsha and another in Gudigwa and a hardware in Gunotsoga.
The trust Chairman believes the critical issues behind the level of poverty in the area – which human wildlife conflict, low levels of socio-economic development, poor education and lack access to adequate primary health care have reached all low levels. Of recent the region is dealing with unprecedented cases of cross border cattle rustling with the neighbouring Namibia.
To further compound human/wildlife conflict, Moediemang said the western buffalo fence in the Okavango Delta, which is supposed to separate wild animals and communities on the eastern panhandle is completely dilapidated and thus not serving its purpose.
On education, academic performance has not been satisfactory owing to a number of factors, among them the unconducive learning environment in most schools. Primary schools are faced with lack of teaching and learning materials and the only Junior secondary school in the area, Ngambao is in shambles, he said. Boarding students sleep on the floor with no mattresses, ceilings that are falling off, hostels with no windows and doors are some of the challenges the school grapples with. Student indiscipline has also cropped up taken centre stage, adding the recipe for failure that continues to churn Junior Certificate leavers into the annals of unemployment.
He has also highlighted that without a proper road that connects them to Shakawe, access to health services will always be a challenge. Currently even ambulances that are based in clinics in the area do not last due to the road, adding they always turn to the trust to assist in transporting patients.
A view held by many here is that the situation is a result of a neglect of socio-economic development in the area, which has since metamorphosed and needs urgent attention from government and various stakeholders to rescue. The starting point to these ills would have to be the road access from Mohembo to Gudigwa, addressing education, health and human wildlife conflict. When all these are addressed these hope that the people of the eastern panhandle can then meaningfully benefit from wildlife and agriculture.
