15 Feb 2013

Tampering with wildlife park boundaries would be against laws of the country, President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama has said

He said the boundaries were gazetted within the laws of the country, making it illegal  for anyone to change them from their current location.

Lt Gen. Khama said this when addressing residents of Toromoja on Thursday.

“Park boundaries are within the laws of Botswana and even as State President, I cannot temper with them as it is against the laws of the country,” he said.

He was responding to a request by VDC chairperson, Mr Kaombona Kanani. The village leader had suggested that  government should consider encroaching on the park so as to create additional land for livestock grazing. The ranches that had recently been allocated in the area, he said, had worsened the land situation for the farmers.

However, President Khama explained that acceding to the request would also be detrimental to the tourism industry, which is of great importance to the economy of the country.

President Khama also told the residents that he recently got assurance from the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Mr Kitso Mokaila that plans were underway for maintanace of the barrier fence between the communal area and the national park.

 The maintenance plan, he said, would  address the problem of elephants crossing into cummunal areas as well as ensuring that the local river that was currently flowing catered for both the livestock and wildlife.

Lt Gen. Khama also expressed concern over the tendency by some members of the community to vandaalise the fence.

When welcoming the President, Kgosi Nguvauva Nguvauva II had complained that the barrier fence between the communal area and the national park had been damaged by elephants allowing livestock to mingle freely with wildlife.

Boteti North MP, Mr Slumber Tsogwane said there were reports that the boundary fence was moved from its gazetted position into state land and therefore the community wanted the fence to revert to its original position which he said was about 5 to 7km inside the park.

He said the decision to move the boundary line into the state land had resulted in some boreholes used for watering livestock being into the park.

“We are aware that the land belongs to the state and that tourism is of paramount importance but we plead that the park boundary be reverted to its original demarcation,” he said. ENDS