23 Mar 2025

The acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti says the Ngwasha cordon fence’s primary purpose is to control Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) by preventing the movement of infected African buffalo from northern to southern regions of the country.

Answering a question in Parliament recently, Dr Dikoloti clarified that the Ngwasha veterinary control gate, constructed between 1983 and 1985, should not be considered the boundary between the Chobe and Central districts, as the criteria for establishing district boundaries differed significantly from those used for health control measures.

He emphasised that the cordon fence served to separate zones of varying animal health statuses, a distinction between FMD-free and non-FMD-free zones, rather than delineating political or administrative borders. Additionally, he stated that authorities other than his ministry, which focused primarily on animal disease control, determined the Central District’s geographical extension beyond the Ngwasha gate.

He said this distinction was important for understanding the role of veterinary control gates like Ngwasha in public health and agricultural policies, rather than in the context of political geography.

Dr Dikoloti was responding to a question from Chobe MP, Mr Simasiku Mapulanga, who sought clarification on when the gate was established, and what considerations informed the location of Ngwasha veterinary control gate at the current site.

MP Mapulanga also wanted to know whether it was not simple logic for Ngwasha veterinary control gate to serve as boundary of the Chobe District and Central District on the justification that the gate was the barrier between the Chobe red zone and Central District green zone in terms of FMD control and Chobe Forest Reserve preservation. He also wanted to know why the Central District would extend north of Ngwasha veterinary control gate, if the latter was not considered the boundary of Chobe and Central districts. ENDS