19 Mar 2015

Sustainable development alongside poverty eradication has always been a priority of the global world through organs such as the United Nations. For instance, Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) collectively emphasise the need to empower communities simultaneous with conserving the environment.

Consequently, government in pursuance of this objective established community Trusts to conserve the abundant historical and natural endowments the country has. Lepokole settlement, located about 30 kilometres from Bobonong, has one such Trust aimed at empowering the residents. The Trust, Mapanda Conservation, owns Lepokole Nature Reserve and has created employment for youth in the village.

Initially, the trust gained income through permitted wildlife hunting where government would give out hunting licenses for a certain fee. A hunting license for an elephant would, for instance, cash in at least P30 000. However, after government stopped issuing hunting licenses, the Mapanda Conservation Trust resorted to other means of earning income.

One such means are the rock paintings at the Kopjies or rocky hills around the area which date as far back as 1300AD. A perfect tourist attraction, the area has been declared a heritage site. Thus, government through Botswana Tourism Organisation invested an initial amount of just over P4 million on the project to erect an electric fence in the perimeter of the nature reserve.

Office blocks and campsites with ablution blocks were also constructed while boreholes were drilled to provide tourists with water. For now, about 15 youth from Lepokole have been engaged in the project in various capacities. According to some youth employed under the project such as Mr Ernest Molelu, Ms Gabatshwane Siamisang and Mr Boemo Joel, they are grateful for the project because they can now provide for their families.

Recently, the BTO donated a twin cab 4x4 vehicle to the nature reserve project. It is expected that in the near future chalets and a restaurant will be constructed at the reserve.

The Lepokole Nature Reserve Landscape is characterised by a range of predominantly dome shaped granite kopjies. The rocky hills are believed to be about 2 660 million years old. Remains of the earliest human settlement found here are occasional camps of Late Stone Age hunters and gatherers who hunted animals on the hills.

The rock paintings and stone walls have so far attracted visitors from Japan, India and America, among other parts of the world and though the nature reserve trust is not yet fully operational.The place promises to a be a tourist destination and a good business venture for the community.

Mapanda Nature Reserve project manager from BTO, Mrs Felicity Sebina, states that her organisation in conjunction with Department of Wildlife and National Parks is in the process of stocking the reserve with different wild animals. Some have already been relocated to the nature reserve such as impala, eland and Zebra to attract tourists and hopefully in future rhinos will also be relocated to the area.

Since the place is a rocky landscape with thick wild vegetation the place is also expected to be  a habitat for carnivores such as hyena, wild dog and leopard. The village kgosi, Mr Mooketsi Diphuphu, commends government for establishing the nature reserve to empower his people.

He says most people in the village are either in the Ipelegeng programme or engaged in agriculture growing field crops or rearing livestock. He says in most instances every season elephants destroy field crops leaving people in poverty. Besides empowering locals and helping to eradicate poverty, the nature reserve will also put Lepokole on the map as more tourists visit the resort. ENDS